General Recommendations ON SAFER INJECTING

Encourage people to:

• Use sterile supplies for every injection.

• Avoid sharing injection equipment. Blood residue can remain on used supplies making it easier to transmit HIV, hepatitis B and C.

• Prepare and inject their own drugs if possible.

• Use only sterile supplies if assisting someone, and be careful not to touch any blood.

• Never inject into arteries. It’s very dangerous to inject into arteries. Blood is under high pressure. If an artery is punctured, it can cause extreme bleeding that is so fast it will not allow time for a clot to form to stop the bleeding.

• Never inject into arteries. It's very dangerous to inject into arteries. Blood is under high pressure. If you hit an artery, the blood will force the plunger back and the blood you draw will be a bright red colour. If punctured it can cause extreme bleeding that is so fast it will not allow time for a clot to form to stop the bleeding.

• Allow injection sites to heal. Rotate sites and avoid using the same spot repeatedly. Every injection causes damage to the vein wall. If the same spot is used for injecting, a scar can form that can collapse the vein. Damaged or swollen veins may partly recover, but collapsed veins never will.

• Split drugs before preparing an injection. If splitting drugs with another person, divide them using a new sterile syringe.

Plan ahead

Bacteria and other microorganisms can enter the body during injection. They enter the bloodstream through veins causing infection and other health complications. Plan ahead to lower risk by keeping the prep and injection space clean.