Intravenous Drug Use
As well as being a Sexually Transmitted Infection, HIV is also classified as a blood-borne virus as it can easily be passed from one person to another when needles, syringes and other injecting equipment is shared by a second or subsequent user. Although the risk of infection varies depending on the amount of blood and the level of HIV present, sharing needles and syringes should always be considered as a very high-risk activity.
Drug users who have access to clean disposable needles and syringes may still be at risk of HIV infection if other equipment continues to be shared:
- Through the presence of blood on spoons used for heating up heroin
- Through sharing water used to flush blood out of a needle or syringe
- Through unsafe disposal of needles or syringes used for injecting drugs, leading to accidents in which blood gets into the body of another person.
Needles and syringes should be disposed of carefully to avoid any risk of transmission via a needlestick injury.
See also:
Harm Reduction for Intravenous Drug Users
Last updated April 2010