HIV This Week

Abdool, R, Sulliman FT, Dhannoo, MI. The injecting drug use and HIV/AIDS nexus in the Republic of Mauritius. African Journal of Drug & Alcohol Studies, Special Issue: Substance Abuse and HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa 2006;5. http://www.sahealthinfo.org/admodule/afrjourinjecting2006.pdf

Mauritius has the highest per capita injection drug use in Africa and, in the last 6 years, injecting drug use has become the main mode of HIV transmission. To report on the drug use, high risk injection practices, and high risk sexual behaviour among imprisoned injecting drug users (IDUs), sex-worker IDUs, and non-prisoner, non-sex worker IDUs, Abdool and colleagues drew data and findings from a 2004 rapid assessment of drug use in Mauritius, and from the Mauritius Epidemiological Network on Drug Use, the AIDS Unit at Ministry of Health; and the Mauritius Prison Service. The findings showed that there are an estimated 17,000-18,000 IDUs in Mauritius of whom 4,800 are sex workers and 2,871 are prisoners. Prevalence of use of unsterile needles among IDUs is estimated at 25-50%, and 75-90% of IDUs report using condoms “seldom” or “never.” Mauritius is facing a serious concentrated HIV epidemic among IDUs. The Mauritius government, through bilateral and multi-lateral collaboration, is making considerable progress in providing comprehensive services for people living with HIV/AIDS. Strengthening prevention interventions targeting IDUs will be critical to addressing this emerging epidemic.

Editors’ note: Although heterosexual transmission is generally the most common mode of HIV transmission in sub-Saharan Africa, injecting drug use is on the rise in Mauritius and other countries. The peer reviewed papers in this supplement review research findings from seven countries—Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia on injecting and non-injecting drug use and on alcohol misuse, and their links to HIV transmission. The issue, which should help inform policy and programmes addressing drug- and alcohol-related HIV risks, is freely available at http://www.sahealthinfo.org/admodule/journal52006.htm