Skip navigation
  1. Home
  2. Health Risks
  3. Blood borne viruses

Blood borne viruses

Blood borne viruses (BBVs) are transmitted through blood-to-blood contact. While research suggests that people who inject PIEDs typically do not share needles, there are other ways BBV transmission can occur. Key risks to be aware of include:

  • Sharing any injecting equipment, including syringes, vials and swabs (high risk)
  • injecting or being injected by someone else (low-moderate risk)
  • using shared surfaces and injecting in close proximity to someone else (low risk)

BBVs are transmitted when blood from another person gets into the blood stream. Some BBVs can also be transmitted through anal, vaginal and oral sex.

The needles used to inject PIEDs are a much larger gauge than intravenous needles, so more blood tends to be produced when injecting. If it’s not cleaned up properly, there is increased risk of BBV transmission. Even small amounts of blood that are invisible to the naked eye can transmit BBVs.

So the first couple of injections was me and some friends … So the first times, yeah, there was three of us who had first tried it, and for the first couple of injections, we had done it to each other, but I dare say, it was very sterile and [we] never shared needles or anything like that. – Chris, Qld

People with BBVs can look and feel very healthy for many years, so it is impossible to know if someone has a BBV by looking at them. Over time, however, these viruses can make you very ill.

It is recommended that anyone who has injected performance and image enhancing drugs, such as anabolic steroids, should get tested for BBVs. You should ask your doctor to test for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. You do not have to tell them why you want a test, but you should ask specifically for these tests as they are not included in routine blood tests. Tests are discreet and just involve a simple blood test.

Some places offer point of care testing or rapid testing for blood borne viruses. Self-test kits are also available for HIV. All these tests can be done with a finger prick. Depending on the test, they provide results within about 20 minutes. You can find out if these are available near you on this page. 

 

Hepatitis B is a virus that causes damage to your liver. It can be chronic, which means having it your whole life. It can lead to liver disease or liver cancer. 

There is a safe and effective vaccine to protect from getting hepatitis B. You should have a blood test before getting the vaccine. This will check whether you already have hepatitis B or if you are already immune. Most people born in Australia after May 2000 would have been given the vaccine at birth. If you were born overseas, or are unsure if you have been vaccinated, you can ask your doctor to check. 

Hepatitis B infection can be acute (up to 6 months) or chronic (life-long). Many adults can naturally clear the hep B virus during the acute stage, but others will go on to have chronic hep B infection.

Currently there is no cure for chronic hepatitis B infection, but with regular liver checks every six months, you can monitor the impacts of the virus. If liver checks show the virus is damaging your liver, you may need to start treatment to manage the effects of the virus. 

For more information about hepatitis B, visit Hepatitis Australia or call HepLink on 1800 437 222 to link to hepatitis information, support, testing and treatment.

Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus that affects your liver. Without medicine to treat it, hepatitis C can cause liver disease and liver cancer. Medicines are now available to cure hepatitis C. Current medicines are easy to take with as little as one tablet a day, no injections and most people experience few to no side effects.

The medicines, known as direct-acting antivirals (or DAAs) are very effective for most people who take them. Generally, you will need to take 1 to 3 tablets for 8 to 12 weeks, depending on which medicine you are using.

People who have cleared hepatitis C are not immune and can be reinfected again. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C.

For more information about hepatitis C, visit Hepatitis Australia or call HepLink on 1800 437 222 to link to hepatitis information, support, testing and treatment.

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is an infection that affects your immune system. There is no vaccine to protect you from getting HIV. If HIV is left untreated, it can development in AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). AIDS is rare in Australia due to highly effective treatments. HIV transmission often occurs between people who aren’t aware of their HIV status, which is why it’s a good idea to test regularly if you’re injecting PIEDs.

There are a number of different ways to protect yourself against HIV. In the context of PIEDs, following safe injecting practices is essential. Additionally, sexual transmission can be prevented through the use of condoms, while some people who are at risk can take HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which is one tablet every day.

PEP (Post Exposure Prophylaxis) is an anti-viral medication to prevent HIV infection if you suspect you may have been exposed to the virus. PEP must be started within 72 hours of an exposure to HIV and be taken correctly over a 28-day treatment period to be effective. For information on PEP, visit GetPEP. There is currently no cure for HIV, but HIV treatments are now so good that as well as keeping people with HIV healthy, they also stop transmission of the virus.

Effective treatment reduces the HIV in the body to undetectable levels. This means that there is zero risk of HIV being sexually passed on from someone with an undetectable viral load. Treatment for HIV is lifelong. For more information about HIV, visit Health Equity Matters.

Click here to find more information and resources related to injecting or taking PIEDs.

Bacterial and fungal infections

References