Women Who Inject Drugs in Mauritius: Understanding the main factors that lead to vulnerability to HCV transmission

Abstract

Mauritius has a concentrated Hepatitis C epidemic driven by Injecting Drug Use (IDU) with an estimated 95.8% prevalence rate within the People Who Inject Drugs (PWID) population. Women Who Inject Drugs (WID), representing 5-10% of the PWID population, are often the most invisible and their injecting drug-related experiences exposing them to HCV transmission neglected. This study aims to bring an understanding of the main factors making WID vulnerable to HCV transmission in Mauritius and further inform gender sensitive interventions and programmes. The ambition is to shed light on WID experiences, exploring their injecting drug use practices, knowledge of HCV, gender relations and barriers to access information. Through purposive sampling, fifteen women from different regions of Mauritius were invited to participate in a small-scale qualitative study. Face-to-face interviews were carried out to gain in-depth information and a socio-ecological framework was used to guide the analysis of the data. The study has revealed nine factors playing a major role in the HCV transmission among WID: lack of knowledge, HCV status, injecting practices, gender relations dynamics between WID and their partners, rapport with the family, the role of female hit doctors and injecting network, stigmatisation and inadequacies in health care settings at times hindering access to information on prevention and care have been identified. The study demonstrates the urgency for an appropriate concerted response to Hepatitis C with gender-specific and gender-sensitive interventions. Furthermore, it highlights the need for a deeper understanding of IDU practices and WID specific needs and challenges in the Mauritian context. Key words: Injecting Drug Use, Women Who Inject Drugs, Hepatitis C, Mauritius