273 Prevalence of Hepatitis C and Needle/Syringe Sharing in Emergency Department Opioid Overdose Patients

In the midst of the devastating opioid epidemic, drug overdose deaths are at an all-time high. Drug overdose is now the leading injury-associated cause of death in the United States. In 2017, 403 accidental drug overdose cases were identified in Marion County, Indiana, which represents a 17% increase from 2016. ED visits due to opioid overdose increased from 1,856 in 2011 to 2,977 in 2015 and 8,297 in 2016 in Indiana. Along with the dramatic increase in overdose deaths, Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection rates have spiked, creating an epidemic within an epidemic.

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