Sex and gender differences in hepatitis C virus risk, prevention, and cascade of care in people who inject drugs: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: People who inject drugs (PWID) are a priority population in HCV elimination programming. Overcoming sex and gender disparities in HCV risk, prevention, and the cascade of care is likely to be important to achieving this goal, but these have not yet been comprehensively reviewed.

Methods: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Trends in cocaine use, markets and harms in Australia, 2003-2019.

Introduction: This paper aims to describe cocaine use, markets and harms in Australia from 2003 to 2019.

Methods: Outcome indicators comprised prevalence of use from triennial household surveys; patterns of use from annual surveys of sentinel samples who use stimulants; and cocaine-related seizures, arrests, hospitalisations, deaths and treatment episodes. Bayesian autoregressive time-series analyses were conducted to estimate trend over time: Model 1, no change; Model 2, constant rate of change; and Model 3, change over time differing in rate after one change point.

Reasons for Not Seeking Hepatitis C Treatment among People Who Inject Drugs.

Despite increases in treatment uptake for hepatitis C viral infection (HCV) in Australia since the introduction of direct acting antiviral (DAA) therapy, a large proportion of HCV-infected people who inject drugs (PWID) have not sought treatment. To examine predictors of treatment uptake and reasons for not seeking treatment among PWID. PWID ( = 404) recruited through five needle and syringe programs in South East Queensland were interviewed about HCV testing, status and treatment, recent injecting drug use, mental health and reasons for not taking up treatment.

Hepatitis C cascade of care at an integrated community facility for people who inject drugs.

Objective: To examine the hepatitis C virus (HCV) cascade of care at a community-based integrated harm reduction and treatment facility for people who inject drugs (PWID).

Methods: Queensland Injectors' Health Network is a community-based agency providing integrated harm reduction and treatment services, including HCV treatment. Program data were analyzed from program commencement (early 2015) up to December 2017.

Initial outcomes of integrated community-based hepatitis C treatment for people who inject drugs: Findings from the Queensland Injectors' Health Network.

Background: Integrated treatment and harm reduction services provide a unique opportunity to facilitate direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected people who inject drugs (PWID). We examine outcomes of community-based delivery of DAA therapy for PWID.

Methods: The Queensland Injectors' Health Network (QuIHN) is a community-based agency providing harm reduction and treatment services.