Prevalence of HIV and HCV among injecting drug users in three selected WHO-EMRO countries: a meta-analysis

Harm Reduction Journal

Rajab Nazari¹  Shah Jahan Shayan¹  Frank Kiwanuka² 

[1] Department of Fundamental of Nursing, School of Nursing, Kabul University of Medical Sciences, Jamal Mina, 3rd District, Kabul, Afghanistan;Department of Nursing Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland;

关键词: HIV;    Hepatitis C;    Injecting drug users;    Iran;    Afghanistan;    Pakistan;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12954-021-00505-4

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundHIV and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infections are responsible for a significant burden of mortality and morbidity, particularly in developing countries. This study sought to determine the prevalence of HIV and Hepatitis C among injecting drug users in Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan.MethodsThis review conforms to the Preferred Reporting Guidelines for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. Databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science/Knowledge, SID.ir, and MAGIRAN were searched. Studies that were published from 2003 up to 2018 were considered for analysis. Studies were screened for inclusion in duplicate, and also, that data were narratively synthesized.ResultsWe report on data from 79 articles. The total number of participants in studies that assessed the prevalence of HIV among injecting drug users included 68,926 participants, while those from studies that assessed HCV prevalence were 23,016 participants. Overall HIV and HCV prevalence among injecting drug users in the three selected countries were 9.1% (95% CI 6.9–12.0%) and 48.3% (95% CI 43.9–52.7%), respectively. Iran had the highest HIV prevalence of 11.0% among injectable drug users (95% CI 8.4–14.2%), while Afghanistan had the lowest HIV prevalence of 3.1% (95% CI 1.5–6.3%) among three selected countries. In Pakistan, the prevalence of HIV was 8.6% (95% CI 4.8–15.0%). Regarding HCV prevalence, Pakistan had the highest while Afghanistan had the lowest, 54.4% (95% CI 33.5–73.9%) and 37.3% (95% CI 35.2–39.4%), respectively. HCV prevalence in Iran was 47.7% (95% CI 43.4–52.0%).ConclusionInjecting drug users form a special cohort of persons at risk of HIV and Hepatitis C infections. The prevalence of HIV and Hepatitis noted from our findings is significantly high. Awareness of the grave risk of spreading HIV and Hepatitis C associated with sharing needles is recommended among this sub-group of drug users.

【 授权许可】

CC BY