Oceania - Regional Overview
Australasia (Australia and New Zealand) is home to approximately 170,000 people who inject drugs, 1.5% of whom are estimated to be living with HIV. Data on drug use and HIV prevalence among people who use drugs in the Pacific Island states and territories (PICTs) are largely unavailable, although there are indications that injecting drug use is contributing to HIV transmission.
Early adoption of harm reduction in both Australia and New Zealand is often credited for the low HIV prevalence among their injecting populations. Australia continues to be the only country in the region to include a drug consumption room within its harm reduction response.
Both Australia and New Zealand include supportive references to harm reduction in national policies on HIV and/or drugs. However, government funding for harm reduction initiatives remains limited in Australia.
Prisoners do not have access to sterile injecting equipment across the region, but opioid substitution therapy is available in most Australian and New Zealand prisons.
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| Country/territory with reported injecting drug use | People who inject drugs | Adult HIV prevalence amongst people who inject drugs | Harm reduction response | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSP | OST | DCR | |||
| Australia | 149,591 | 1.50% | Y(1,372) (P) | Y(2,132) (B,M) | Y |
| Fiji | nk | nk | N | N | N |
| New Zealand | 20,500 | 1.60% | Y(199) (P) | Y(B,M) | N |
| Papua New Guinea | nk | 0% | N | N | N |
| Timor Leste | nk | nk | N | N | N |
| American Territories: Guam and American Samoa | nk | 0% | N | N | N |
