British Liver Trust

• Clean up blood from floors and work surfaces using undiluted household bleach.
• Wash hands thoroughly if any blood gets on them.
• Wear rubber gloves if handling anyone else’s blood or any articles that might be contaminated with blood.
• Dispose of blood-stained items carefully in a sealed plastic bag.
• Carefully clean cuts and wounds and cover them with a waterproof dressing.
• Never share toothbrushes, razors, scissors and other personal items.
• Practice safer sex (use a condom).
• If the patient knows or suspects they are hepatitis C positive, they should not register as an organ donor or donate blood or semen.
• Make sure only sterile needles are used if the patient chooses to have acupuncture, a tattoo or a body or ear piercing. If possible check that needles come from a new sterile pack.
• When travelling abroad, make sure any injecting or dialysis equipment is sterile.

The most important advice to IDUs is to stop injecting, but if this is not practical they should follow the advice below:

• Have their own space for injecting and keep their own equipment for sole personal use.
• Ideally use new, sterile equipment from a needle exchange for every injection.
• If re-using equipment, people should re-use their own.
• Don’t lend or borrow any injecting equipment including syringes, needles, spoons, filters, swabs, tourniquets or cups of water, even if tempted in the early stages of drug use. Infection can occur after just one episode of sharing.
• Wash their hands with soap and water before and after injecting.
• Don’t draw up from a communal pot of water.
• Don’t frontload or backload.
• Dispose of injecting paraphernalia safely in a sharps bin.
• Enter OST (opioid substitution therapy) programme if not on one already.

 In addition IDUs should:

• Get tested for HCV and other blood-borne viruses.
• Get HBV vaccination.
• If HCV positive get HAV vaccination, and referral to HCV specialist service.