PrEP awareness, eligibility, and interest among people who inject drugs in Baltimore, Maryland

People who inject drugs (PWID) have been central to the HIV/AIDS epidemic for over 30 years, with the World Health Organization estimating that about 19% are living with HIV globally (Mathers et al., 2008). In 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determined that 6% of HIV diagnoses in the U.S. were attributable to injection drug use (IDU) and another 3% to male-to-male sexual contact and IDU (CDC, 2016). The most successful, evidence-based HIV prevention effort targeting PWID is syringe service programs (SSPs), which have significantly reduced the incidence of HIV and HCV infections among PWID over the past 30 years (Fernandes et al., 2017; Gibson et al., 2001; MacDonald et al., 2003).

Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence - October 22, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Susan G. Sherman, Kristin E. Schneider, Ju Nyeong Park, Sean T. Allen, Derrick Hunt, C. Patrick Chaulk, Brian W. Weir Tags: Full length article Source Type: research