Abstract
Background Intervention impact on reductions in hepatitis C virus (HCV) incidence among injecting drug users (IDUs) are modest. There is a need to explore how drug injectors' interpret HCV risk. Appealing to risk calculus alone is insufficient. Interventions should build upon the salience of hygiene and trust narratives in HCV risk rationality, and foster community changes towards the perceived preventability of HCV. Structural interventions in harm reduction should target policing, homelessness and gendered risk.