Globally, around 16 million people inject drugs and 3 million of them are living with HIV. Explosive HIV epidemics occur in populations of injecting drug users (IDUs) where re-use and sharing of injecting equipment are common.
On average, one out of every ten new HIV infections is caused by injecting drug use and in some countries and regions, this percentage is much higher: over 80 per cent of all HIV infections in Eastern Europe and Central Asia is related to drug use.
WHO strongly supports harm reduction as an evidence-based approach to HIV prevention, treatment and care for drug users. WHO advocates for Universal access to a comprehensive harm reduction package of interventions for drug injectors which includes needle and syringe programmes, drug dependence treatment - in particular opioid substitution therapy - as well as risk reduction counselling, HIV testing and counselling, and HIV treatment and care.
WHO works closely with UNODC, UNAIDS and other stakeholders including civil society to advocate for the implementation of these interventions.
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