INTERAGENCY GUIDANCE - Prevention and control of infectious diseases among people who inject drugs

INTERAGENCY GUIDANCE Prevention and control of infectious diseases among people who inject drugs 2023 update ECDC AND EMCDDA GUIDANCE Prevention and control of infectious diseases among people who inject drugs: 2023 update This document is an update of the joint guidance that was published in 2011 by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Monitoring Centre f. [...] 1 Prevention and control of infectious diseases among people who inject drugs: 2023 update ECDC AND EMCDDA GUIDANCE Key intervention areas and recommendations for preventing and controlling infectious diseases among people who inject drugs following critical review of the evidence by the expert panel Provision of sterile injecting equipment: • Provide sterile needles and syringes and other drug pr. [...] 10 ECDC AND EMCDDA GUIDANCE Prevention and control of infectious diseases among people who inject drugs: 2023 update Intervention areas The areas of intervention that should be considered as key components of a comprehensive approach to prevent and control infectious diseases in people who inject drugs are detailed in the following sub-sections. [...] Other models have also shown that in order to reduce chronic HCV and subsequently reduce HCV incidence requires scaling of HCV treatment; and that the combination of HCV treatment and OAT and NSP will minimise re- infection and reduce chronic HCV prevalence and incidence in people who inject drugs [103-105]. [...] Evidence and justification Voluntary and confidential infectious disease testing of people who inject drugs is a key strategy to eliminate hepatitis B and C, HIV, STIs and TB in the EU/EEA and a prerequisite for linkage to care and treatment provision.