How to halve HIV transmission among people who inject drugs by 2015

Epidemics driven by injecting drug use are among the fastest growing epidemics in the world. Basic prevention methods are proven to reduce new HIV infections among poeple who inject drugs: opioid substitution treatment, needle and syringe programmes and antiretroviral treatment.

Currently, only eight of every 100 people who inject drugs have access to opioid substitution therapy, only four of every 100 people who inject drugs and are eligible for treatment are getting antiretroviral drugs, ƒƒonly eight of every 100 people who inject drugs have regular access to sterile injecting equipment, nearly half of the countries with epidemics concentrated among injecting drug users have no needle and syringe programmes at all, and low- and middle-income countries are currently spending only an estimated $0.03 per day on HIV prevention for each person who injects drugs.

Curtailing HIV epidemics requires access to HIV prevention and treatment, and evidence-informed, rights-based combination interventions that protect and support people who inject drugs.

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