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Cookers
Cookers are used to prepare the product to be injected, and can also be used to heat the product to be injected. These single-use cookers are sterile. They are available in 2 different sizes, for the preparation of small and large volumes.
Comparison of cooker kits
Stericup/Maxicup
- Cooker
- Cotton filter
- Post-injection dry swab
- Stericup : 2,5 ml
- Maxicup : 5 ml
Sterimix+/Maximix+
- Cooker
- Sterifilt+ antibacterial filter
- Post-injection dry swab
- Sterimix+ : 2,5 ml
- Maximix+ : 5 ml
The benefits of sterile cookers
All non-sterile cookers (spoons, bottle caps, etc.) can be contaminated by bacteria. When injected, such bacteria can lead to infections of the skin, bones, or other organs, such as the heart.
One particular study1 showed that the use of non-sterile cookers was associated with significant risks of infective endocarditis, which is an infection of the inner surface of the heart.
The use of sterile cookers, associated with other hygiene measures such as disinfecting the hands, can reduce the risk of infections.
1 Shah et al. (2020). Risk factors of infective endocarditis in persons who inject drugs. Harm reduction journal
Limiting the risks associated with the sharing of cookers
The sharing of preparation equipment, such as cookers and filters, is a proven risk factor for hepatitis C and HIV in people who inject drugs.
Among all harm reduction supplies, cookers are the most often shared, either through reuse by the same person or by multiple persons.
A larger cooker leads to a higher risk of use by multiple persons. It is therefore important to provide people who inject drugs with as small a cooker as possible, to limit its use to a single dose. Some drugs, such as crushed pills that were not intended for injection, require larger volumes for complete dissolution.
The Stericup, with its capacity of 2.5 ml, can be used to prepare up to 1.5 ml of solution. The Maxicup, with its capacity of 5 ml, can be used to prepare up to 4 ml of solution.
As well as intentional sharing (sometimes due to a lack of available equipment), some situations can lead to the accidental sharing of cookers, such as long sessions where multiple persons are present. This is why the Stericup and Maxicup are available in 5 different colours, to help people who inject drugs in groups to easily identify their own cooker.