Detection of hepatitis C virus in the nasal secretions of an intranasal drug-user

BACKGROUND: One controversial source of infection for hepatitis C virus (HCV) involves the sharing of contaminated implements, such as straws or spoons, used to nasally inhale cocaine and other powdered drugs. An essential precondition for this mode of transmission is the presence of HCV in the nasal secretions of intranasal drug users. METHODS: Blood and nasal secretion samples were collected from five plasma-positive chronic intranasal drug users and tested for HCV RNA using RT-PCR. RESULTS: HCV was detected in all five blood samples and in the nasal secretions of the subject with the highest serum viral load. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to demonstrate the presence of HCV in nasal secretions. This finding has implications for potential transmission of HCV through contact with contaminated nasal secretions

What's in a name ? La construction sociale du risque du sida chez les consommateurs de drogue à Harlem

What's in a Name ?La construction sociale du risque du sidachez les consommateurs de drogue à HarlemCet essai trace l'histoire de vie de cinq personnes vivant à Harlem, une communauté appauvrie caractérisée par des taux élevés d'usage de drogue et de prévalence du VIH/sida ; ces personnes s'injectent toutes de la drogue par voie intraveineuse. Chaque portrait tente de documenter la façon dont est perçu le risque de l'infection par le VIH relativement à d'autres sortes de danger, ainsi que la manière dont ce risque est géré face à d'autres types de besoin. L'article explore la signification de ces correspondances, les situe dans le tissu social global de la communauté, notamment par rapport à la pauvreté, et en étudie les conséquences pour l'intervention en matière de sida.What's in a Name ?The Social Construction of Riskfor AIDS in the Moral Imaginationof IV Drug Users in HarlemThis essay profiles the life stories of five individuals from Harlem in New York City, an impoverished community with high levels of drug use and HIV seroprevalence. AU are intravenous drug users, and each profile is concerned with documenting the way in which risk for HIV infection is perceived relative to other kinds of dangers, as well as the way it is managed relative to other kinds of needs. The paper explores the significance of thèse correspondences, locales thèse ideas within the larger social fabric of the community, particularly as they relate to poverty, and explores the implications of thèse correspondences for AIDS intervention

The Geography of an Unsafe Injection: IV Drug Use and Commercial Sex Workers

"Ruby" was out on the street and out in the open, when the first mailman passed us she got nervous and started rushing her injection, first dropping her water bottle and then her cooker. While she injected another mailman passed making her even more tense and she spilled blood down her arm. She looked at me and said "these damn mailmen are everywhere…You see when I have a little privacy it's so much easier." (Fieldnotes)</jats:p

Ketamine Injection among High Risk Youth: Preliminary Findings from New York City

Ketamine, a synthetic drug commonly consumed by high risk youth, produces a range of experiences, including sedation, dissociation, and hallucinations. While ketamine is more typically sniffed, we describe a small sample of young ketamine injectors (n=25) in New York City and highlight risks associated with this emerging type of injection drug use. Our findings indicate that the injection practices, injection groups, and use norms surrounding ketamine often differ from other injection drug use: intramuscular injections were more common than intravenous injections; injection groups were often large; multiple injections within a single episode were common; bottles rather than cookers were shared; and the drug was often obtained for free. Our findings suggest that the drug injection practices exercised by ketamine injectors place them at risk for bloodborne pathogens, such as HIV, HBV, and HCV. We conclude that ketamine injectors represent an emerging, though often hidden, population of injection drug users, particularly among high risk, street-involved youth. </jats:p