The Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care : JANAC
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J Assoc Nurses AIDS Care · Nov 2013
Reviewpeople who inject drugs, HIV risk, and HIV testing uptake in sub-Saharan Africa.
Dramatic rises in injection drug use (IDU) in sub-Saharan Africa account for increasingly more infections in a region already overwhelmed by the HIV epidemic. There is no known estimate of the number of people who inject drugs (PWID) in the region, or the associated HIV prevalence in PWID. ⋯ This review found evidence demonstrating high rates of HIV in IDU populations in sub-Saharan Africa, high-risk behaviors of the populations, lack of knowledge regarding HIV, and low HIV testing uptake. There is an urgent need for action to address IDU in order to maintain recent decreases in the spread of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa.