Sub-Saharan Africa
Regional Overview
The majority of new HIV diagnoses in Sub-Saharan Africa are attributable to sexual transmission, but the influence of drug use and of drug injecting is becoming increasingly evident in many countries. Although data on drug use in the region are limited, injecting has been reported in the majority of the forty-seven Sub-Saharan states. There are… Read more
Injecting Drug Use, HIV and Hepatitis C
The following maps and table outline the current available data on injecting drug use, as well as the prevalence of HIV and hepatitis C among injecting populations in Sub-Saharan Africa. The map below illustrates HIV prevalence among injecting drug users in countries of the region. The map below illustrates hepatitis C prevalence among… Read more
Harm Reduction Policies
Few countries in Sub-Saharan Africa include an explicit supportive reference to harm reduction in their national policies on HIV or drugs. This is illustrated in the map and table below. Although policy wording is not necessarily indicative of the implementation of effective harm reduction measures in a country, it does indicate governmental… Read more
Harm Reduction Programmes
Key harm reduction interventions (including needle and syringe exchange and opioid substitution therapy) are not available in the majority of countries in this region, as illustrated in the maps and table below. Where available, coverage is insufficient and there are many barriers to accessing them. No prisoners in the region have access to… Read more