BACKGROUND Injection drug use provides an efficient mechanism for transmitting bloodborne viruses, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). Effective targeting of resources for prevention of HIV and HCV infection among persons who inject drugs (PWID) is based on knowledge of the population size and disparity in disease burden among PWID. This study estimated the...

BACKGROUND Interventions such as opiate substitution therapy (OST) and high-coverage needle and syringe programs (HCNSP) cannot substantially reduce hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence among people who inject drugs (PWID). HCV antiviral treatment may prevent onward transmission. We project the impact of combining OST, HCNSP, and antiviral treatment on HCV prevalence/incidence among PWID. METHO...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES HIV among people who inject drugs (PWID) is a major public health concern in Eastern and Central Europe and Central Asia. HIV transmission in this group is growing and over 27 000 HIV cases were diagnosed among PWID in 2010 alone. The objective of this systematic review was to examine risk factors associated with HIV prevalence among PWID in Central and Eastern Europe ...

BACKGROUND It is unclear whether knowing of current HIV status is associated with change in injecting behaviors among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Iran. The objective of the present study was to determine whether awareness of HIV positive status is associated with a reduction in injecting risk behaviors, after matching for socio-demographic characteristics. METHODS Five hundred male PWID...

BackgroundHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis C (HCV) and B (HBV) are substantial public health threats in the region of Central Asia Caucasus, where prevalence these infections is currently rising.MethodsA systematic review MEDLINE, Embase PsycINFO was conducted with no publication date or language restrictions through October 2019. Additional data were also harvested from national s...

INTRODUCTION Emerging HIV epidemics have been documented among people who inject drugs (PWID) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). This study estimates the HIV incidence among PWID due to sharing needles/syringes in MENA. It also delineates injecting drug use role as a driver of the epidemic in the population, and estimates impact of interventions. METHODS A mathematical model of HIV t...

In Vietnam HIV infection is concentrated in key populations, including persons who inject drugs (PWID). The majority of PWID can name specific transmission routes of HIV, yet risk behaviors remain high. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 1,355 PWID in Thai Nguyen Province, Vietnam, to compare their HIV knowledge with their self-reported risk behavior. Broader knowledge of HIV transmission...

BACKGROUND Needle-syringe programs (NSP) have been running in Iran since 2002. However, the coverage of such program among the NSP clients at the individual level was not studies yet. This study aimed to determine the client coverage of NSP and its correlation with high injection-related risk behaviors. METHODS A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Kermanshah province, Iran, in 2014. 230 ...

BACKGROUND People who inject drugs (PWID) are at highest risk for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, yet many remain unaware of their infection status. New anti-HCV rapid testing has high potential to impact this. METHODS Young adult (<30 years) active PWID were offered either the rapid OraQuick® or standard anti-HCV test involving phlebotomy, then asked to complete a short questionnaire abou...