Protecting drug users from becoming infected with

Protecting drug users from becoming infected with

Protecting drug users from becoming infected with HIV is one of UNAIDS’ priority areas. Globally, nearly three million injecting drug users are living with HIV with 13 million more at risk of HIV infection. It is estimated that on average globally fewer than 2 clean needles are provided per month per injecting drug user, there are only 8 drug users in opioid substitution treatment for every hundred drug users, and only 4% of injecting drug users living with HIV are on HIV treatment. Accumulated experience and evidence over the past two decades have shown repeatedly that HIV can spread rapidly once it enters a drug injecting population. Increases in HIV prevalence from 5% to 50% in one year have been observed among people who inject drugs in some settings and HIV can spread from people who inject drugs to their sexual partners and other populations.

We can protect drug users from becoming infected with HIV by making comprehensive, evidence informed and human-rights-based programmes accessible to all drug users (i.e. attending to harm reduction alongside demand reduction), including programmes to reduce hepatitis coinfection, and by ensuring that legal and policy frameworks serve HIV prevention efforts.