People who inject drugs are being warned of the dangers of HIV after a "steep increase" in new cases in the Glasgow area.

Health officials said 47 people had been diagnosed with the virus last year, almost five times more than the annual average of ten new cases.

For the first time in almost 30 years new diagnoses of HIV related to injecting drug use are at a level comparable with those in men who have sex with men or in the heterosexual population.

Investigations into the outbreak have found that some drug users are sharing needles, syringes, spoons and water when preparing and injecting their drugs.

It has also been found that many users have a "low awareness" of the risks associated with sharing needles.

Dr Catriona Milosevic, of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC), said: "There has been a significant outbreak of HIV in people who inject drugs in the NHSGGC area.

"While the focus of this has been in Glasgow, a wider population of people who inject drugs, and the services in contact with them, need to realise the potential for the spread of HIV.

"Firstly, people from other areas may travel to, and inject within, Glasgow. Secondly, the lessons from this outbreak highlight the potential for a similar situation to develop in other areas and the need for robust prevention efforts to prevent this.

"The outbreak highlights the potential for rapid spread of HIV in people who inject drugs. It is vitally important that if people are injecting drugs they don't share, and ideally do not reuse, any equipment.

"This includes when injecting with close friends or partners - you can't guess whether someone has HIV, and they may have no symptoms and be unaware themselves. Everyone involved needs to use a new set of sterile injecting equipment every single time, including needles, syringes, water, filters, and spoons, to protect themselves and others. These are all available from injecting equipment services."

Dr Milosevic said that, while the "ultimate goal" was to help drug users recover from their addiction, there are "extensive" services available to keep them safe.

These include alternatives to injecting, such as foil for smoking heroin, and injecting equipment provision.

She added: "There is no cure for HIV. However, there are now very effective treatments available that control the virus - often involving only one tablet a day. Recent discussions have highlighted that those at risk are not aware of the huge advancements made in HIV treatment - there is still a perception that a diagnosis of HIV is a 'death sentence'.

"If people are diagnosed and start treatment early, which requires a test, they can have a similar life expectancy as the rest of the population."