HCV, injection drug use, and the importance of harm reduction in Kenya

Abstract

Matthew Akiyama and colleagues' study1 in The Lancet Infectious Diseases fills an important gap in our understanding of hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence and risk factors among a geographically diverse sample of people who inject drugs (PWID) in Kenya and, by extension, other parts of sub-Saharan Africa and similar settings. The authors also reiterate the importance of supporting a robust array of harm-reduction services for PWID to prevent excess morbidity and mortality associated with infectious diseases.