5 April 2017:In 2015, globally, the number of new infections among people who inject drugs has increased by 33% compared to 2011. The access to evidence-based interventions to address HIV among people who inject drugs, and in particular Needle and Syringe Programmes, Opioid Substitution Therapy and Antiretroviral therapy, is too low to prevent the transmission of HIV and Hepatitis C through sharing injection equipment.
Engaging the community in the HIV response among people who inject drugs is critical to ensuring increased access to quality harm reduction services for HIV. UNODC and the International Network of People Who inject Drugs (INPUD) together with, WHO, UNAIDS, UNFPA,UNDP and other international partners have developed the tool Implementing Comprehensive HIV and HCV Programmes with People Who Inject Drugs: Practical Guidance for Collaborative Interventions (the "IDUIT") to support countries in fast tracking their response to HIV among people who inject drugs.
The tool was launched today at the at the first Regional Harm Reduction Conference in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia
This tool contains practical advice on implementing HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) programmes with people who inject drugs. It is based on recommendations of the WHO, UNODC, UNAIDS technical guide for countries to set targets for universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care for injecting drug users - 2012 revision, the Consolidated guidelines on HIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care for key populations - 2016 update and other international guidance such as UNODC/WHO/UNAIDS HIV and AIDS in places of detention: A toolkit for policymakers, programme managers, prison officers and health care providers in prison settings .
The tool is designed for use by public-health officials, managers of HIV and harm reduction programmes, NGOs - including community and civil-society organizations - and health workers. It may also be of interest to international funding agencies, health policy-makers and advocates.
Topics covered include community empowerment, such as building the capacity of organizations and networks of people who inject drugs; legal reform, human rights and addressing stigma and discrimination; health and support services for the comprehensive package of harm reduction interventions; service delivery approaches, including engaging people who inject drugs as programme staff and peer outreach workers; and programme management. The tool contains examples of good practices from around the world that can be used to support efforts to plan programmes and services with people who inject drugs.
