We want you to keep yourself as healthy as possible, especially when you inject drugs.

There are a few things you can do to keep yourself from getting other diseases, like hepatitis.

Use your own works and needles/syringes:

· Your local needle/syringe exchange program is an important resource for clean needles and works, or you may be able to buy syringes from your local pharmacy.

· Ask us about needle exchange and syringe purchase laws in our community.

If you don’t have clean needles and works:

• Use bleach or room-temperature water to clean needles and works used by someone else before you use them, by flushing the syringe at least three times, for thirty seconds each time. Even older syringes are risky, since Hepatitis C can live in a syringe for three weeks.
• Cut the number of people you reuse equipment with (syringes, cookers, cottons, water)
• Cut the number of times you inject drugs each day or each week.
• Consider switching to a less risky route, such as smoking or snorting your drug.

Vaccinate, Vaccinate, Vaccinate!

• Hepatitis is a serious problem for injectors, so get a vaccination for Hepatitis A and B from your health care provider, local clinic or syringe/needle exchange program.
• Even if you already have Hepatitis C, a vaccination is important, as getting Hep A or B when you already have Hep C can be deadly!
• Also, get a tetanus vaccination every ten years to prevent infection.

Learn to inject more safely – see our Safer Injection Flyer or http://www.anypositivechange.org/bvcsi.html

OVER

Use your own works and needles/syringes:

• Use your own works and syringes and don’t share with anyone else.
• Your local needle exchange program is an important resource for clean needles and works, or you may be able to buy new syringes from a pharmacy - Ask us about local syringe exchange and purchase laws.

If you don’t have clean needles/syringes and works:

· Clean needles and works with bleach or room-temperature water after you’ve used them and before others use them.

• Cut down the number of times you inject before others, and tell others to cook their dope for at least fifteen seconds.
• Cut the number of people who reuse your syringes and/or your works (cookers, cottons, water, ties).
• If you cut the number of people you share unclean works or needles with, you reduce the number of people who may get HIV from you.
• Consider telling your drug using partners that you have HIV, so they can make an informed choice about sharing your syringes/works.

Another thing you can do is use condoms when you have sex with anyone:

• If you have sex in exchange for something—a fix, money, a place to sleep—remember to use condoms.
• If you don’t use condoms, you risk giving your sex partner HIV and you risk getting other strains of HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases.
• If you can’t use condoms, use plenty of water-based lube to reduce the risk to your partner and yourself.

We want to help you protect your health. We want to help you reduce the risk for transmitting HIV to your drug using partners and your sex partners. We want to help you keep your family, kids and friends safe from HIV and other diseases.