The rate of chronic hepatitis C infections for people who inject drugs has fallen in the last six years, according to the latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

A survey of people who inject drugs found 7.8% had hepatitis C, compared with 26% in 2017.

Hepatitis C can be passed on through contaminated blood, so people who inject drugs are particularly at risk if they have shared or reused needles and syringes.

In 2023, direct needle and syringe sharing rose to 25%, up from 17% in 2014. Direct sharing remained consistently higher among female participants and notably increased in the 25-34 years group, UKHSA said.

The decline in people living with hepatitis C is primarily due to the ‘scale-up’ of curative treatments for the infection.

Dr Monica Desai, hepatitis lead at UKHSA, said these had been a ‘game-changer’ for progress towards hepatitis C elimination.

However, she added: ‘We cannot solely treat our way out of this public health challenge.

‘It’s critical that those most at risk of hepatitis – including those who inject drugs – continue to be tested so they can get access to life-saving treatments and stop the virus being passed on and have access to safe injecting equipment.’

The latest figures also show that uptake of the hepatitis B vaccine is declining among people who inject drugs.

Only 62% of survey participants reported receipt of at least one vaccine dose, compared to 73% in 2014.

The falling uptake is particularly prominent among people aged 25 years and under and in those who started injecting drugs in the previous three years.

The number of people who inject drugs living with hepatitis B in 2023 was only 0.44%. However, high levels of vaccine uptake are important for prevention and control of the infection.

HIV prevalence remains low and stable among people who inject drugs, as it has done over the past decade, while HIV testing uptake has increased by 39% in the past 10 years, UKHSA added.

Earlier this year, Dr Graham Stretch, president of the Primary Care Pharmacy Association (PCPA), told The Pharmacist that pharmacists working in all settings can play a ‘massive role’ in raising awareness of hepatitis C risks and testing.

His comments followed the Infected Blood Inquiry’s report in May which recommended GP practices should ask any new patients at registration whether they had a transfusion before 1996 and to offer patients who fall into that category ‘the opportunity of a precautionary blood test’ for hepatitis C.