High risk injection drug use and uptake of HIV prevention and treatment services among people who inject drugs in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 18; no. 5; p. e0281030
• Main Authors: Zanoni, Brian C, Milford, Cecilia, Sithole, Kedibone, Mosery, Nzwakie, Wilson, Michael, Bosman, Shannon, Smit, Jennifer
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 12.05.2023; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Antiretroviral agents; Antiretroviral therapy; Antiviral agents; Biology and Life Sciences; Blood diseases; Care and treatment; Complications and side effects; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Disease prevention; Drug abuse; Drug addicts; Drug overdose; Drug therapy; Drug use; Drug Users; Drugs; Evidence-based medicine; Harm reduction; Health care access; Health care industry; Health risks; Health services; Hepacivirus; Hepatitis; Hepatitis C; Hepatitis C - drug therapy; Hepatitis C - epidemiology; Hepatitis C - prevention & control; Hepatitis, Viral; Highly active antiretroviral therapy; HIV; HIV (Viruses); HIV infection; HIV Infections - drug therapy; HIV Infections - epidemiology; HIV Infections - prevention & control; HIV testing; Homeless people; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Injection; Intervention; Intravenous drug abuse; Intravenous drugs; Law enforcement; Low income groups; Medical care; Medical tests; Medicine and Health Sciences; Methadone; Narcotics; Needle exchange programs; People and places; Prevention; Risk assessment; Risk factors; Sex industry; Sexually transmitted diseases; Social networks; South Africa - epidemiology; Statistics; Utilization; South Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa; Durban South Africa; Tanzania
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281030

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.