Fortier E, et al. - Researchers conducted this cohort study of a total of 372 hepatitis C virus (HCV)-uninfected (HCV RNA-negative, HCV antibody-positive or -negative) people who inject drugs (PWID) (mean age=39.3 years, 82% male, 45% HCV antibody-positive) in order to examine if injecting cessation episodes of 1-3-month duration had any predictive value for HCV acquisition. At 3-month intervals, an interviewer-administered questionnaire was completed by the participants and they were tested for HCV particles (HCV RNA). Observations revealed that this cohort from Montréal, Canada commonly had short and sporadic injecting cessation episodes. They noted protective effects of injecting cessation episodes against hepatitis C virus acquisition, especially when maintained for a minimum of 3 months.