Persons who inject drugs

This resource highlights new HIV diagnoses in California in 2019. Risk categories are in order of highest transmission risk (Injection Drug Use, Sexual Contact, and Other).

This toolkit is for harm reduction workers who are considering participating in research activities, or who already have existing community-academic research partnerships. It may also be of use to academic researchers studying issues related to harm reduction, though they are not the main audience for the toolkit.

This resource provides information on next steps individuals who participate in injection drug use should take to protect themselves from getting HIV. Topics covered highlights how drug use increases risk for HIV and how individuals can prevent it. 

This webpage discusses the opioid crisis is one of the greatest public health challenges facing the U.S., causing an unprecedented surge in overdose deaths, and fueling the rapid rise in new Hepatitis C infections from injection drug use in communities across the country. Find helpful infographics at the bottom of the page.

On July 20, 2023, NASTAD hosted a webinar for the University of Washington Supporting Harm Reductions Programs team, “Measuring Syringe Coverage at SSPs: An Indicator for Equity and Needs-Based Distribution.” During this webinar, UW SHaRP shared tools and tips for syringe services programs interested in measuring syringe coverage among their program participants.  

This webpage houses recommendations and guidelines for syringe services programs and other stakeholders as it pertains to mpox.

This video discusses how any new prisoner to the country’s 17 penitentiaries sees a psychiatrist, a doctor and if needed is offered to join a treatment programme. Comprehensive harm reduction services not only include drug dependence treatment but also needle syringe exchange and HIV testing and treatment. HIV prevalence is 11% among people who inject drugs in Moldova vs 0.36% among the general population.  They are one of the most affected groups in the country. UNAIDS, UNODC and WHO have been long-time supporters of expanding these services to all prisons.

This video discusses how Daouda Diouf comes daily to the Fann Hospital compound daily in Dakar, Senegal. He is one of 250 people enrolled in CEPIAD’s opioid substitution therapy programme (OST). OST is a globally recognized intervention to reduce injecting behaviors that put people who inject drugs at risk of contracting HIV and other blood-borne diseases, such as viral hepatitis.

This guide has been written collaboratively by people with lived experience of substance use, nursing students, harm reductionists, and medical professionals to address medical issues that may affect people who use drugs.

This infographic discusses how in 2018, injection drug use (IDU) was highest among men (21%),