The best way to avoid contracting Hep C and other blood-borne viruses such as HIV/AIDS and Hep B is not to inject. Injecting is the greatest risk factor for contracting Hep C. There is no way of completely eliminating the risk of viral transmission from used syringes.
If you choose to inject...
Use new injecting equipment every time you inject including new fits, sterile water, new swabs, a clean spoon, tourniquet, filter, a clean injecting space and clean hands.
If you can't get a new fit...
- Choose to wait until you can get a new fit
- Try using your drugs another way like smoking, snorting, swallowing or shafting (up ya bum).
- Clean a fit that only you have used before.
- As the very last resort - clean a fit that someone else has used. This is not recommended - no matter how well you know the person you could get Hep C.
If you inject with a fit used by someone else, you are taking the risk of becoming infected with Hep C, Hep B and/or HIV/AIDS. Even if you are already Hep C positive, cleaning is important, as you can be re-infected with a different or even the same strain of Hep C. Follow these directions for cleaning used fits (including your own).
A. Equipment: - you will need three separate containers.
- 1. One filled with clean, cold tap water for rinsing blood out of your own fit. Soapy (detergent) water is best. Use water from the cold tap. If the water is too hot or too cold it can cause any blood in the fit to congeal and stick inside the fit where it can shed microscopic particles into your mix;
- 2. One filled with full strength bleach (at least 5.25% sodium hypochlorite, and check the 'use by' date) for soaking/bleaching the used fits; and
- 3. One filled with clean, cold tap water for rinsing the bleach from your fit. You will also need a clean workspace and a safe area to get rid of fluids - like a sink, bin or drain or whatever.
B. Cleaning process
There are three steps to the cleaning process: rinsing, bleaching and flushing.
i. Rinsing
- Draw up water from the first container.
- Squirt the water out.
- Repeat process until the fit is clear.
- Empty the container of contaminated water.
ii. Bleaching
- Take the fit apart and put it in the second container.
- Make sure it is covered completely with bleach.
- Soak it for at least two minutes.
- If you can't soak it, draw the bleach up into the fit and shake it for at least 30 seconds.
- Count slowly to make sure that the bleach has enough time in contact with any virus present. Count "1 000, 2 000"... up to "30 000".
- Squirt the bleach out into your sink, bin or drain.
- Repeat this process at least once.
iii. Flushing
- Draw up fresh water from the third container into the fit.
- Don't use water from the first container: this has been contaminated with blood.
- Squirt, flushing the water out.
- Repeat this process at least six times, until the bleach is removed.
- Flushing your fit is very important. If you don't flush your fit at least six times you can risk having a 'dirty hit' from the leftover bleach in the syringe. The symptoms of a dirty hit include; severe headaches, the shakes, fever, pain, vomiting and sweating. Paracetamol can help with the fever and anti-nausea tablets can help with the vomiting. If you or someone with you has these symptoms the person should rest, drink plenty of fluid and seek medical advice if the symptoms cannot be relieved or worsen.
