Active hepatitis C infection declines among people who use drugs in France
A single peer-reviewed analysis of French surveys found declining active hepatitis C infection among people who use drugs. Comparing blood samples from shared cities also showed a fall among participants who had injected drugs. Researchers separately modeled the frequency of new infections. The findings cover a period of expanded treatment and harm-reduction services while documenting continuing transmission and differences in access to care.
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Blood samples show fewer active infections
A single peer-reviewed analysis of French surveys found active hepatitis C prevalence among people who use drugs falling from 19.4 per cent in 2013 to 9.5 per cent in 2023. Among participants who had injected drugs, prevalence declined from 29.6 per cent to 14.5 per cent. Active infection was identified by detecting RNA, the hepatitis C virus’s genetic material, in blood samples. Researchers evaluated this measure separately from antibody tests, which also identify people exposed to the virus in the past.[1]
Comparison focuses on five shared cities
The analysis combined cross-sectional surveys conducted in 2004, 2013 and 2023. Participants were recruited through treatment centres and services working to reduce harms associated with drug use. To compare years, researchers selected participants with usable blood samples in the five cities shared by all surveys. Each survey sampled the population in its own period. The increase in average age from 35 to 44 also documented changing sample composition. Underrepresentation of people outside service networks was a possible source of sampling bias.[1]
A model estimates new infections
For the group that had injected drugs, modeling estimated new infections declining from 6.5 to 2.4 per 100 person-years. Because antibodies can persist after infection clears, calculations treated active infection, spontaneous clearance and treatment separately. The observational design cannot determine the individual contributions of expanded treatment and harm-reduction services to the decline. The paper also describes ongoing transmission and gaps in health coverage and access to injecting equipment.[1]
