High risk injection drug use and uptake of HIV prevention and treatment services among people who inject drugs in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
cross_sectional · Level IV
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 37172026.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0281030 and PMC identifier 10180682.
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Abstract
We conducted a mixed-methods study to understand current drug use practices and access to healthcare services for people who use injection drugs in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. We used respondent-driven sampling to recruit 45 people who used injection drugs within the past 6 months from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. We found high rates of practices that increase HIV/viral hepatitis risk including the use of shared needles (43%) and direct blood injections (bluetoothing) (18%). Despite 35% living with HIV, only 40% accessed antiretroviral therapy within the past year, and one accessed PrEP. None of the participants ever tested for Hepatitis C.
Medical subject headings
- Drug Users
- HIV Infections
- Hepatitis C