Injecting drug use is a major driver of HIV infections in Eastern Europe, the

Commonwealth of Independent States, North Africa, the Middle East, and many parts of Asia
and North America.1 Injecting drug use accounts for approximately 10% of HIV infections
globally, but this proportion rises to 30% outside of Africa.
In 2008, injecting drug use had been reported in 148 countries and territories, but
prevalence of injecting drug use was available for fewer than half (i.e., 61 countries) 2, Since
injecting drug use is more common in urban areas, country-level prevalence estimates can mask
considerable within-country heterogeneity. Injecting drug use is responsible for an increasing
proportion of new HIV infections in many parts of the world2.
Extrapolated estimates suggest that 159 million (range 110212 million) people might
inject drugs worldwide; the largest numbers of injectors were found in China, the USA, and
Russia, where mid-estimates of HIV prevalence among injectors were 12%, 16%, and 37%,
respectively. HIV prevalence among injecting drug users was 2040% in five countries and over
40% in nine. We estimate that, worldwide, about 30 million (range 0866 million) people who
inject drugs might be HIV positive.2,3
One study found that 72 of 120 IDUs in Bangladesh had no knowledge regarding
diseases caused by injection. IDUs in Bangladesh also became a high risk group for HIV/AIDS
due to lack of knowledge and risky behaviors. More than 70% respondents shared needle.
Another risky behavior among IDUs such as only 11.7% of 120 participants who used condom
with their regular sex partner and 15.8% with any partners, more than 51% started using drugs
when the age was 16-24 years, especially for using injecting drugs when the age was 25-34
years. More than two-thirds of participants had no education or only reached primary level of
education. 4
Approximately 18.3% of respondents reported not seeking healthcare before. 40%
reported the problem was they do not know where they have to go for treatment, 30% thought
that the treatment was too expensive, 17.5% thought that the treatment was not effective. 4

Steffanie A. Strathdee & Jamila K. Stockman: Epidemiology of HIV Among Injecting and
Non-injecting Drug Users: Current Trends and Implications for Interventions
2

Mathers BM, Degenhardt L, Phillips B, et al.: Global epidemiology of injecting drug use and
HIV among people who inject drugs: A systematic review. Lancet 2008, 372:17331745. This
is a global summary estimating the number of IDUs by country and region and the
proportion who are HIV-positive among them.
3

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime: World Drug Report. New York; 2009.

Islam S. M. S, Biswas T, Bhuiyan FA, Islam MS, et al : Injecting Drug Users and Their Health
Seeking Behavior; A Cross-Sectional Study in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Journal of Addiction. 2015.