These data indicate the crucial need for scaling up services aimed at reducing drug or sex related harm for young Aboriginal women, particularly in Northern and remote communities

These data indicate the crucial need for scaling up services aimed at reducing drug or sex related harm for young Aboriginal women, particularly in Northern and remote communities. had been using injection drugs for over five years. Impartial associations with HCV seroconversion were involvement in sex work in the last six months (Adjusted Hazard Ratio (AHR): 1.59; 95% CI: 1.05, 2.42) compared to no involvement, having been using injection drugs for less than two years (AHR: 4.14; 95% CI: 1.91, 8.94) and for between two and five years (AHR: 2.12; 95%CI: 0.94, 4.77) compared to over five years, daily cocaine injection in the last six months (AHR: 2.47; 95% CI: 1.51, 4.05) compared to less than daily, and sharing intravenous needles in the last six months (AHR: 2.56; 95% CI: 1.47, 4.49) compared to not sharing. Conclusions This study contributes to the limited body of research addressing HCV contamination among Aboriginal people in Canada. The HCV incidence rate among Cedar Project participants who were new initiates of injection drug use underscores an urgent need for HCV and injection prevention and safety strategies aimed at supporting young people surviving injection drug use and sex work in both cities. Young people must be afforded the opportunity to provide leadership and input in the development of prevention programming. Background Increasing levels of HCV contamination among young Aboriginal people Diethyl aminoethyl hexanoate citrate are distressing for many Aboriginal communities and service providers, not only in small and large urban FAM162A centres but also in rural settings where healthcare resources are limited [1,2]. This situation is usually exacerbated by the fact that this major consequences of HCV contamination, including cirrhosis of the liver and hepatocellular cancer do not develop for many decades after initial contamination [3]. Available data have exhibited that Aboriginal people are not only disproportionately represented among HCV infected people in Canada but also underrepresented in community based treatment programs [4]. In British Columbia, it is estimated that incidence for HCV contamination is twice as high among Aboriginal people compared to non-Aboriginal people [5] and that over half the population of Aboriginal people living with HIV are HCV co-infected, making the treatment challenges associated with being HCV and HIV co-infected far more complex [6]. Unfortunately, national HCV surveillance data for indigenous people in Canada is considered to be very limited largely because of under reporting and lack of consistent documentation of ethnic status between provinces [7,8]. Despite these limitations the Public Health Agency of Canada has identified that HCV incidence among Aboriginal people in Canada is usually 5 to 6 fold higher than among non-Aboriginal people [8]. The majority of these new Diethyl aminoethyl hexanoate citrate infections can be attributed to injection drug use and the sharing of contaminated injection gear [7,9]. There is also increasing evidence that HCV Diethyl aminoethyl hexanoate citrate is usually disproportionately impacting Aboriginal young people. As Roy et al [10]. have suggested, recent onset of injection is a particularly vulnerable time for young people and the risk for HCV Diethyl aminoethyl hexanoate citrate seroconversion is extremely high. In a previous study, we exhibited that approximately 11% of our participants will transition to injection drug use per year; a rate that is twice as high as that found in a similar longitudinal investigation conducted in Montreal [11,12]. A number of prospective studies in Canada have examined HCV contamination among people who use injection Diethyl aminoethyl hexanoate citrate drugs. However, most have been limited by the fact that they are older cohorts and characterized by high HCV prevalence and small numbers of Aboriginal people, making it difficult to assess risk factors relevant for Aboriginal specific programming. Concerns over the paucity of available data and the potential for explosive HIV and HCV epidemics among Aboriginal young people.