Sharing straws to sniff crushed prescription drugs may be a contributing cause to the spread of Hepatitis C. Using the same straws could also transmit the HIV virus.
It is widely known that sharing needles transmits deadly diseases from drug user to drug user. The idea that straws have the same capability to spread viruses, however, has not been communicated to the world yet. This is a significant find, and a dangerous lesson that must be taught to the public. Snorting instead of shooting up is common, ironically for the reason many drug users don’t want to use needles in the first place. Needles are known to spread disease when dirty, and most drug users are aware of this. Also people generally don’t like painful needles.
Pregnant opiate users are sharing straws
In eastern Tennessee researchers surveyed almost two hundred pregnant women infected with Hepatitis C. The study selected pregnant women because they are among a group highly likely to employ medical services. Seventy percent of the women didn’t know how they got infected, and most, if not all, discovered the illness during standard prenatal testing.
Ninety-two percent had shared straws to snort drugs with other drug users. Opiates were the primary drug used, which is indicative of the opioid crisis in that area of Tennessee.
Hepatitis C is not as dangerous as HIV, but the concern here, obviously, would be that this method of transmission can generate a huge pool of new infections just because of the opiate epidemic raging in the United States .
This very serious threat needs to be communicated to the health care community, so the public is made aware through education.
If you or someone you know is struggling with an addiction to prescription medication, please call (855) 202-4220.
