Injecting drug users missing out
on HIV prevention services
Accra, May 15, GNA - Fewer than one in every 10
injecting drug users have access to basic HIV prevention
and treatment services, even though they comprise almost
one third of new infections outside sub-Saharan Africa,
according to the Joint UN Programme Against HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
In its latest review of the global response to the AIDS
pandemic, released last week, UNAIDS found that the
social and legal stigmas surrounding drug use mean
people with drug dependence problems are often unwilling
or unable to use HIV treatment programmes because of
fears of recrimination.
"Only eight per cent of injecting drug users receive HIV
prevention services despite increased political
commitment and funding worldwide to tackle the AIDS
pandemic," a statement issued by the UN Information
Centre in Accra said.
Anindya Chatterjee, UNAIDS Adviser on Prevention and
Public Policy, said the care and treatment for drug
users was lagging behind the overall response to AIDS.
"We know that focused HIV prevention programmes have
been successful in reducing HIV prevalence among people
who inject drugs," Mr Chatterjee said.
"In countries and cities where harm reduction programmes
have been implemented early and on a large scale, HIV
prevention programmes have been successful - down to
less than 5 per cent in some cases."
The review cited examples in Belarus, Russia, Ukraine,
Bangladesh, Brazil, Hong Kong and China.
"But given drug use is illegal in most countries and
often punishable by incarceration; some of the HIV
prevention programmes tailored for injecting drug users
has met strong resistance from governments and local
communities."
The review noted that such initiatives worked best when
they followed an advocacy campaign in which support was
established first among local community representatives
and then among the mass media.
It warned that programmes rarely achieved immediate
success and that funding for these initiatives should be
solid, flexible and sustainable to overcome early
concerns about the merit of the prevention services.
GNA
