Can needle and syringe programmes and opiate substitution therapy achieve substantial reductions in hepatitis <scp>C</scp> virus prevalence? Model projections for different epidemic settings

Abstract

Scaling-up opiate substitution therapy and high coverage needle and syringe programmes can reduce hepatitis C prevalence among injecting drug users, but reductions can be modest and require long-term sustained intervention coverage. In high coverage settings, other interventions are needed to further decrease hepatitis C prevalence. In low coverage settings, sustained scale-up of both interventions is needed.