Blood-Born Pathogens Essay

People who inject drugs are disproportionally affected by blood-borne pathogens such as HCV and HIV. Injection related risk behaviors have long been cited as a route of disease transmission (Hagan et al. 2010; van den Hoek et al. 1990). The more social connections an individual has the more likely they are to engage in high risk injection related behaviors (De et al. 2007). Research shows that transmission of blood-borne pathogens could be prevented by eliminating high risk injection behaviors including, specifically, sharing syringes and sharing injection equipment (Pouget, Hagan, Des Jarlais 2012). These behaviors (e.g., sharing syringes and injection equipment) are often called injection related risk behaviors.

The disease burden among

Transmission of HIV within the context of substance can happen through sharing injection equipment with infected blood. The national burden of HIV associated with injection-related risk has become of great importance in the wake of the heroin epidemic. While substance use can encourage many risky behaviors attributable HIV transmission, there exists a known route of transmission through sharing injection equipment. The use of sterile syringes has long been touted as an effective way to reduce HIV transmission among PWID (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The ecology of health is multifaceted and reciprocal in nature. Understanding the levels of influence that interact, and further acknowledging their importance, provides a foundation to situate research within a broader context. At the macro level, which can include material resources and opportunity structures (Bronfenbrenner 1994), fundamental cause theory suggests that there are structural elements embedded within our culture so distal, that in and of themselves impact health. Socioeconomic status is often described as one such fundamental cause (Link and Phelan