Hep C Is On The Rise Among NYC Youth (Tackling Youth Substance Abuse)
The NYC Hep C Task Force Hep C Prevention in Youth Initiative, in partnership with Tackling Youth Substance Abuse, received a grant from Birds Nest Foundation to create a video highlighting how p/hepatitis-c-prevention-young-drug-users/rescription medication misuse can lead to intranasal or injection drug use, which can lead to Hep C infection. Watch and share this important and compelling video.
The video will initially be presented at schools and other forums on Staten Island, which has been particularly hard hit by the current opiod/heroin epidemic. A guidance document for facilitated discussion is being created to accompany the video as a tool for educators. Keep an eye out for the official launch date. While the content is tailored to Staten Island, educators may find it useful for other areas of NYC. And HepFreeNYC will look, based on success of this video, towards the feasibility of extensions to this project.
HHS Background
Opiods and Hepatitis C
In 2014, an estimated 30,500 new HCV infections occurred in the United States. Between 2010 and 2014, the CDC identified a 250 percent increase in reported acute HCV infections after several years of relatively stable rates of new infections. The CDC has determined that this increase is linked to the ongoing opioid abuse epidemic in the United States. High rates of new infections were predominantly among White adolescents and young adults with histories of injection drug use and previous use of prescription opioids such as oxycodone, mostly in nonurban areas.
){kind=link}