The HIV epidemic associated with injecting drug use in Europe

Abstract

IDU have played a major role in the spread of HIV in Europe. In several western European countries, the incidence of HIV acquired through drug use has declined following high rates in mid-1980s. Studies to assess current transmission are needed and prevention efforts must be maintained. In eastern Europe, emerging epidemics reinforce the urgency for prevention.

Reconstructing the AIDS epidemic among injection drug users in Brazil

“…In several European countries, HIV prevalence among IDUs shows considerable variation between and within countries 9 . The late upsurge of drug consumption and AIDS cases among injection drug users in Portugal in the context of trends in other southern European countries 31 illustrates how wealthier and more developed societies may be affected by increased access to illicit drugs and to the harms associated with drug injection 32 .…”

“…Proximate risk factors for IDUs-associated transmission such as injecting practices are determined largely by the influence of broader social, cultural, political, and legal dimensions on individual behavior 9,10 . Location-specific drug use patterns and their interaction with drug availability, purity, methods of production, and trafficking routes 10,11 are particularly important.…”

Tendência da epidemia de AIDS em usuários de drogas injetáveis no Município de São Paulo de 1985 a 1997

“…Mas o impacto desse efeito para a epidemia em São Paulo ainda é possivelmente subestimado, pois para mais de 50% das mulheres não UDI as informações sobre os parceiros eram desconhecidas, à semelhança do verificado na Europa onde 40% desconheciam o fator de risco que fez com que seus parceiros se infectassem 34 . Os resultados do presente estudo e o que foi observado nos Estados Unidos 42 e Europa 34 sugerem um aumento da vulnerabilidade feminina.…”

A Phylogenetic Analysis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Sequences in Kiev: Findings Among Key Populations

“…Previous studies recommend interventions targeting bridge populations (sexual partners of PWID, clients of sex workers, and female partners of MSM), responsible for linking high risk groups with the general population (1, [9][10][11]. The prevention programs delivered through the International HIV/AIDS Alliance in Ukraine since 2006 have increased opioid substitution therapy, HIV testing and counselling, access to health services and antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage, but continued efforts are required to reach WHO targets (1).…”