Hepatitis C (HCV) is the most common blood-borne virus in the United States, with 4-5 million Americans currently infected.

Injecting drugs with contaminated syringes or other injecting equipment (including cookers, cottons, water and tourniquets) is the leading cause of HCV infection, with the majority of people who inject drugs having been infected. Left untreated, hepatitis C can cause serious liver disease, including cirrhosis and liver cancer and HIV-positive persons coinfected with hepatitis C are at greater risk for liver damage. Managing HCV can often be complicated by stigma, criminalization and even denial of basic human rights and health care.

• Opiate Task Force

Sharing needles is the most efficient way to transmit HCV, but other studies have demonstrated that even other paraphernalia such as tourniquets and syringes and containers and surfaces where drugs are mixed can be contaminants.

A study found that in Melbourne, Sydney and Amsterdam, HCV incidence fell dramatically between 1995 and 2011, the same time frame when harm reduction programs such as needle and syringe exchange programs and opiate substitution therapy were scaled up.

"The lower HCV incidence in Amsterdam and Melbourne, and the downward trend in Sydney, likely reflect an early and sustained implementation of harm reduction services," the authors wrote. "The Netherlands and Australia were global leaders in scaling up harm reduction programs to include making sterile needles available through pharmacies, vending machines and outreach."

HCV incidence was highest and remained elevated in Baltimore, San Francisco and Montreal. These cities where HCV was highest also experienced higher rates of syringe and equipment sharing and lower prevalence of opioid substitution therapy than Amsterdam, Melbourne, and Sydney.

To decrease the number of new Hepatitis C infections in the community, Canton City Public Health will actively participate in the Opiate Task Force and survey the community for knowledge of and readiness for a syringe exchange program. After completing the survey, CCPH will form an adhoc planning committee and hold stake holder meetings then secure funding for the implementation of a bloodborne pathogen prevention program. With funding, CCPH will implement a comprehensive needle exchange program and seek feedback from participants about the effectiveness of the program at addressing their needs. Program evaluations will be completed and reported to the community annually.