Alarm as HIV/Aids prevalence among drug users soars

HIV infection fuelled by drug use is on the rise in Tanzania, according to a new report. The HIV/Aids prevalence rate among drug users in the country is 33.9 per cent, one of the highest in sub-Saharan Africa, Harm Reduction International (HRI) says in its report released in London last week.

It adds that high-risk injecting of drugs is compromising efforts in dealing with new HIV infections, and hampering efforts to further reduce the national prevalence rate that has drastically fallen over the years.

The report, however, puts Tanzania on the list of leading countries that have taken innovative steps in addressing the problem, but suggests that the country should scale up programmes to deal with new and emerging patterns of self-injection of drugs.

Tanzania is home to the largest government-run medically-assisted treatment project for the drug users in Africa, with over 1,200 people receiving methadone treatment since 2013. Another 20,000 drug users are assisted through an outreach group.

The number of treatment centres for needle syringe programmes (NSP) in Dar es Salaam has also increased from one to seven in two years to ensure drug users turn over a new leaf.

There is also a scaling up of community medically-assisted therapy centres in the city, rising from one, which was initially based at Muhimbili National Hospital, to three with the other two being based at Mwananyamala and Temeke hospitals.

In neighbouring Kenya, the government announced the initiation of NSP in 2012, resulting in ten operational sites by last year.

In South Africa, there is presently only one NSP site focused on homosexual men who inject drugs.

According to the HRI Executive Director Mr Rick Lines, the pioneering efforts of Tanzania and Kenya are a reassurance that the efforts to curb the problem are gaining momentum.

“It is at the same time critically important that these interventions are scaled up and adopted across the region where similar patterns of drug use may be emerging.

“Further HIV infections in sub -Saharan Africa driven by drug use are as concerning as they are avoidable,” he said.

In Zanzibar, the HRI report says, there are documented cases of high-risk injecting practices like blood-sharing, increased stimulant use and risky sexual practices that escalate the rate of HIV transmission.