[Review messages to date: https://www.hifa.org/rss-feeds/17 ]
'There are more than 11 million people who inject drugs (PWID) globally, according to a 2020 estimate by WHO, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and the World Bank. Of this figure, 1.4 million PWID are living with HIV; 5.5 million are living with hepatitis C virus (HCV); and 1.2 million are living with both HIV and HCV. Globally, an estimated 23–39% of new HCV infections occur among people who currently inject drugs.'
https://www.who.int/teams/global-hiv-hepatitis-and-stis-programmes/hepat...
It's estimated that 80% of the above inject opioid drugs such as heroin, fentanyl and other synthetic opioids
https://www.drugpolicyfacts.org/chapter/pwid?utm_source=chatgpt.com
About half of all people who inject drugs live in China, Russia and the United States.
https://www.iapac.org/fact-sheet/people-who-inject-drugs-pwid/
Do we know why there are so many people who inject drugs in these countries?
About 20% of people who inject drugs are HIV-positive and around 40% are infected with hepatitis B. Are young people aware of these risks when they are at an age when they might start experimenting with drugs?
Given all the above, what public health measures are needed to prevent and manage injection of heroin and fentanyl?
We have already mentioned education of adolescents as an important part of prevention. Are young people aware of the very high health risks associated with opioid misuse and especially injection of these drugs?
Naloxone is a life-saving treatment for people who have overdosed, but how available is this treatment in different countries worldwide?
Some countries provide clean syringes and needles for use by people who inject drugs. Such services reduce risk of blood-borne infections and overdose, and provide an interface between health professionals and those who inject drugs.
Are policymakers and public health professionals adequately informaed to provide evidence-based services?
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org