Hepatitis C virus among self declared non‐injecting sexual partners of injecting drug users

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Abstract
While much is known about hepatitis C virus (HCV) among injecting drug users (IDUs), there is scant information about the risk of HCV infection to non‐injecting sexual partners of injecting drug users; it is possible that such individuals may have a greater risk of acquiring HCV than any other group barring injecting drug users. This study examines the prevalence of HCV among a population of non‐injecting sexual partners of injecting drug users. Unlinked anonymous testing for anti‐HCV of residual sera stored following the named HIV testing of specimens originally from persons who had indicated to their attending clinicians that they were non‐injecting sexual partners of injecting drug users. The prevalence of anti‐HCV among the sexual partners was 4.1% (25/611) overall, 6.4% (13/202) among heterosexual male and 3.0% (12/397) among the heterosexual female partners. None of the homosexual/bisexual partners were HCV antibody positive (0/12). Although we cannot be sure how non‐injecting partners of injecting drug users acquire their HCV infection, having a relationship with someone who injects drugs may place an individual at appreciable risk of being infected; such individuals should consider being tested for HCV. J. Med. Virol. 74:62–66, 2004.