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Updated: Jul 21, 2026

An Affordable HIV-1 Drug Resistance Monitoring Method for Resource Limited Settings
Published on: March 30, 2014
Hepatitis A outbreaks among illicit drug users and their contacts in Queensland, 1997
D D Shaw1, D C Whiteman, A D Merritt
1Darling Downs Public Health Unit, Toowoomba, QLD. shawd@health.qld.gov.au
Objective:
To describe five outbreaks of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection associated with illicit drug use during a statewide outbreak of HAV infection in Queensland.
Design:
Risk factor prevalence survey.
Patients And Setting:
All 875 cases of HAV infection notified to Public Health Units in Queensland in the 12 months to 30 November 1997.
Main Outcome Measure:
Type and prevalence of illicit drug use.
Results:
Risk factor assessment was completed for 804 cases (91.9%). We identified five outbreaks of HAV infection linked to illicit drug use. These outbreaks accounted for 24.6% (215/875) of all notified cases and 39% (190/482) of notified cases in the 15-34 years age group. The main type of illicit drug use in four of the five outbreaks was injecting drug use (74%; 118/160), while in the other outbreak it was sharing of smoking implements for marijuana (38%; 21/55).
Conclusion:
Illicit drug use may be an under-recognised risk factor for HAV infection, particularly in young people. Faecal-oral transmission through poor personal hygiene, including sharing of implements for smoking marijuana, is the most probable route of transmission in these drug-linked outbreaks. The role of contaminated drug and needle-sharing remains to be clarified.
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