title: Awareness of HCV infection among persons who inject drugs in San Diego, California.
abstract: We asked persons who inject drugs questions about HCV, including past testing and diagnosis followed by HCV testing. Of 540 participants, 145 (27%) were anti-HCV positive, but of those who were positive, only 46 (32%) knew about their infection. Asking about previous HCV testing results yielded better results than did asking about prior HCV diagnosis. Factors associated with knowing about HCV infection included older age, HIV testing, and drug treatment. Comprehensive approaches to educating and screening this population for HCV need implementation.
authors.affiliation: Melissa G. Collier and Eyasu H. Teshale are with the Division of Viral Hepatitis, National Center for HIV, Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA. Sandeep K. Bhaurla, Jazmine Cuevas-Mota, Richard F. Armenta, and Richard S. Garfein are with the Division of Global Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego.
authors.forename: Melissa G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Collier
authors.forename: Sandeep K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Bhaurla
authors.forename: Jazmine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cuevas-Mota
authors.forename: Richard F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Armenta
authors.forename: Eyasu H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Teshale
authors.forename: Richard S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Garfein
mesh_terms: D015492:AIDS Serodiagnosis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012698:Serologic Tests / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D055815:Young Adult