Fact Sheet: Saving Lives by Reducing Harm—HIV Prevention and Treatment for Injecting Drug Users

Worldwide, ten percent of HIV infections are now due to injection drug use. Outside Africa, the number rises to nearly one in three. Harm reduction programs help those unable or unwilling to abstain from drug use to make positive changes to protect their health and the health of others. This OSI fact sheet describes the roles of sterile syringe programs, opiate substitution therapy, HIV treatment, sexual health services, human rights protections, peer support, and community mobilization in reducing the harms of injection drug use.