Discarded Used Needles. (Photo by BlackburnNews)Discarded Used Needles. (Photo by BlackburnNews)
Chatham

Hepatitis C rates linked to drug use

Chatham-Kent's hepatitis C rate is more than twice the provincial average and health officials say it is almost entirely due to drug use.

There were 75 confirmed cases of the disease in the municipality in 2017. It may not seem like a big number to some, but considering the population it is cause for concern according to Jordynne Lindsay, public health nurse with Chatham-Kent Public Health.

"We know that nearly all of these cases are related to injection drug use," Lindsay said. "We're also unclear which of these cases are newly acquired. We're hoping with new testing, and some of the things we've implemented with our internal processes, that we'll be able to mitigate some of those challenges."

According to Lindsay, injection drug use is a real problem in Chatham-Kent. She said it is expected that 0.3 per cent of people aged 15 or older use injection drugs.

"We have nearly four times that amount accessing our needle syringe programs at one of our fixed sites," Lindsay said. "So we know that Chatham-Kent has high rates of injection drug use and that's definitely under-reporting."

Lindsay added the municipality is experiencing challenges around access to services as there is no treatment facility for hepatitis C in Chatham-Kent. She said anyone who needs treatment has to travel to Windsor or London which can be problematic if they have to work or don't have their own mode of transportation.

The nurse said not only are shared needles spreading the disease but all of the "equipment" that is shared when it comes to drug use.

Lindsay said a group was brought together to address both the hepatitis C and drug abuse situations in Chatham-Kent. She added a series of recommendations have been developed to address both situations.

The first is looking at internal processes within the organization and streamlining them to be more efficient and accessible.

"So we started an internal working group for mental health and substance use within our health unit," Lindsay said. "We have staff from across various programs and offices that are participating in one working group now. This allows us to share information and develop a consistent and coordinated strategy."

Lindsay said the group has also been working on its data collection processes and are in the beginning phases of developing an early warning and response strategy. She said the group will work with community partners that are involved in first response work and harm reduction. It would involve looking at the data collected now and better ways to share it.

The group is working with AIDS Committee of Windsor to expand its outreach services. Lindsay said needle service and harm reduction is being brought to more remote parts of the municipality, but more needs to be done.

"We are working with pharmacies in the community to expand our harm reduction program to be satellite sites," Lindsay said. "They could distribute drug use equipment to increase access in the community and allow people who maybe can't make it into the core of Chatham to access it their outlying community."

Lindsay said stigma is perhaps the biggest barrier preventing people from getting help. She added CK is a very conservative place and those who use drugs feel they will be judged harshly for seeking any sort of help. Lindsay said the mentality needs to change before the community can see hepatitis C rates drop.

"It could be an ultimate goal for Chatham-Kent and Ontario to eradicate hep-C," Lindsay said. "As far as a timeline goes, I think it will be an ongoing challenge for us and I think it is an immediate priority for our organization and community."

The Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit is participating in a research project in conjunction with the University of Windsor. Lindsay said the groups will do research and interview people who have lived with or are living with addiction. She added the point is to learn more about the challenges they face when it comes to accessing services and what their experiences were.

She said anyone interested in getting involved will have to "stay tuned" as the project isn't quite ready to move onto interviews just yet.

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