Early stages of the HIV epidemic among injecting drug users: Lessons to be learned

Abstract

Injecting drug use driving the HIV epidemic is currently a major global public

health concern. However, the early epidemic among injecting drug users

(IDUs), more than three decades ago, was only concentrated in few places. The

HIV epidemic among the IDUs in New York, USA; Edinburgh, Scotland, UK;

and northern Italy provides examples of where the recorded prevalence

exceeded 50% within a very short period of time. This brief review highlights

historical perspectives of HIV transmission risk among IDUs during the early

stages of the epidemic. Salient features and related experiences during this

period might provide valuable insights for current HIV prevention. Our

overview of the selected locations reemphasizes the importance of early

prevention. The discussion also introduces to new researchers the early

situation associated with the HIV epidemic in IDUs and highlights some crucial

components need to be included during current HIV prevention activities.