By Marion Wayua
A new report has shown evidence of an increase in injecting drug use found in 190 countries an increase of 10 countries since the previous review in 2017 including eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa suggests the need for improved coverage of interventions to prevent and manage drug-related harms among people who inject drugs, reports global review
According to the 2023 Lancet review and research on the Epidemiology of injecting drug use and the prevalence of injecting-related harm; the number of Injecting Drug Users [IDU] is growing globally accounting for 14.8 million people aged 15–64 years.
“Policy and service planning interventions are required in any given country. With harm-reduction methods in play, there is a need to address structural and environmental factors that predispose people who inject drugs to elevate substantial risks,” the report says.
Several harm reduction interventions such as coverage of needle and syringe exchange programs (NSPs), opioid agonist treatment (OAT), and other harm reduction services that target injecting drug users such as supervised consumption facilities, drug checking services, and take-home naloxone (THN) programs-naloxone is a drug that can temporarily reverse opioid overdose-have been deployed by several countries.
According to the report, there is an increased recognition of HIV and Hepatitis C [HCV] and Hepatitis B [HBV] infections as a consequence of sharing injection equipment as a drug-related harm.
Additionally, overdose and endocarditis are potential health risks faced by people who inject drugs.
“Although blood-borne viruses are crucial health issues, other potential health harms faced by people who inject drugs, including overdose, other injecting-related diseases such as endocarditis, and other physical and mental health problems,” The report stated. “These harms are increased among people who inject drugs compared with those who do not, but have been the subject of relatively little global attention,” the report adds.
People who inject drugs face multiple and multilevel health risks outside of the directly related health problems, other physical and mental health problems occur specifically to those who inject drugs as opposed to those who don’t.
It is notable that the socio-demographic of people who inject drugs engage in patterns of risk behaviours. The risks are dynamic and occur at both the micro and macro levels. They can be social, physical, economic, or political in nature and can affect risk behaviour increases the likelihood of harm.
“There is increasing recognition that to reduce drug-related harms requires modifying social and structural risks and individual behaviours,” the report recommends.
Patterns of drug use increase exposure to physical and structural environmental risks. Environmental risks faced by IDUs include homelessness, sex work, arrest, incarceration and usually non-fatal overdose.
“It is reported that young people aged 25 years and below are prone to take part in high-risk sexual behaviours.”
“The report pooled estimates of the percentage of people who inject drugs who were young (aged <25 years) to have had current or recent unstable housing or were homeless, had a lifetime or recent police arrest; had a lifetime or recent history of incarceration; and had recently engaged in sex work,” read part in the report.
Globally it is estimated that 2·8 million women inject drugs, compared with 12·1 million men, though varying in different regions.
Information on people who inject drugs identifying as transgender or LGB [Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual] was missing from most countries.
Significantly, the proportion of young people below 25 years among people who inject drugs accounted for 23·9percent globally.
Data on the risk of injecting and sexual behaviour among drug injectors were less common, but some distinct trends did emerge.
The report estimated that 30 percent of people shared distributive needles and 28 percent of people shared receptive syringes.
Justifiably Injecting Drug Users [IDU] is a global concern having been documented in most countries. Despite the wide variations of people who inject drugs with regard to the types of drugs injected and frequency of injecting or the levels of injecting the outcome are high-risk factors.
“Investments in harm-related activities and treatments are imperative,” the report stated.
