Infectious disease epidemic emerges in opioid abusers

New York: There is a new epidemic of hepatitis C, HIV, and other infections within the opioid abuse epidemic, according to participants in a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine workshop. There is an urgent need for actions to address this combined threat, they write in Annals of Internal Medicine, “Opioid use disorder is like any other medical disorder, and through simple screening and starting medication treatment with the FDA-approved medications to prevent relapse to opioid use and decrease opioid craving, people can reduce acquiring infections,” Dr Sandra A. Springer from Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut told Reuters Health by email. “For those who do have associated infections at the time of screening, then starting treatment for their opioid use disorder can help them recover from their infectious diseases as well. Two for the price of one.” Dr. Springer and colleagues from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a workshop, “Integrating Infectious Disease Considerations with Response to the Opioid Epidemic,” to address these intersecting epidemics. The participants agreed on the following action steps: all individuals who are evaluated in medical settings for overdose, heart valve infections, blood poisoning, HIV, hepatitis C, and other serious infections should be screened for opioid use disorder using a quick test like the Rapid Opioid Dependence Screen. People found to have opioid use disorder should immediately receive prescriptions for an FDA- approved medication that treats the disorder and prevents relapse.