Category Archives: Drug use behaviours/harm reduction
Acute and early HIV infection screening among men who have sex with men, a systematic review and meta-analysis
INTRODUCTION: Screening for acute and early HIV infections (AEHI) among men who have sex with men (MSM) remains uncommon in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Yet, undiagnosed AEHI among MSM and subsequent...
Methadone maintenance therapy service components linked to improvements in HIV care cascade outcomes: A systematic review of trials and observational studies
BACKGROUND: The beneficial links between engagement in methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) and HIV treatment outcomes have been extensively described. Nevertheless, people who use drugs (PWUD) continue to experience suboptimal HIV...
Attributes of HIV infection over decades (1982–2018): A systematic review and meta-analysis
Understanding the risk factors for HIV infection is the foundation of successful preventive strategies, which must bundle sociocultural, behavioural and biomedical interventions to halt disease transmission. We aimed in this...
Injecting risk behaviours amongst people who inject drugs: A global multi-stage systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Injecting risk behaviour, such as receptive sharing of injecting equipment and/or re-using one’s equipment, is associated with bloodborne virus transmission and infections in people who inject drugs (PWID). We...
mHealth and opportunities in anti-retroviral adherence in HIV, a diverse group of patients with diverse and unique opportunities: A narrative review
BACKGROUND: Antiretrovirals (ARVs) are key in the management of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). While no cure exists, ARVs help patients live healthy lives and prevent transmission to others. However, adherence...
Factors associated with HIV testing among people who inject drugs: A meta-analysis
HIV testing is the first step to early identification, treatment and management of HIV infection among people involved in high-risk behaviors specifically drug injection. Achieving declines in morbidity and mortality...
Factors associated with injecting-related risk behaviors among people who inject drugs: A systematic review and meta-analysis study
We conducted this systematic review and meta-analysis study to better understand the factors (being drug use, drug type (methamphetamine vs others), sex partner, frequency of injection, homelessness and being HIV...
Socio-demographic characteristics and risk factors for HIV transmission in female bar workers in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic literature review
BACKGROUND: Although sex workers are considered a key population in the HIV epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), less consideration has been given to female bar workers (FBW), whose primary occupation...
Possible benefits of providing safe supply of substances to people who use drugs during public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic
Key take-home messages Safe supply is an approach that focuses on saving lives by prescribing pharmaceutical grade substances such as opioids and stimulants to individuals at risk of overdose and...
Utilizing a life course approach to examine HIV risk for black adolescent girls and young adult women in the United States: A systematic review of recent literature
Objective: Black female youth have been disproportionately burdened by the HIV epidemic. Emerging literature suggests that individual and social-structural factors may uniquely increase HIV risk within this population during key...
