Injecting drug users

Health official raises alarm over soaring HIV cases

INJECTING drug users (IDUs) are becoming frequent visitors to HIV clinics, says the senior medical officer in charge of the Central and Eastern divisions’ Sexual and Reproductive Health Clinic, Dr Dashika Balak.

Dr Balak said so far almost 100 per cent of IDUs who have sought their services are HIV positive.

“On a daily basis, about three to four cases of HIV that we get are IDUs,” said Dr Balak.

“We are seeing another crisis on top of the increase in HIV numbers and that is an increase in injecting drug users (IDUs) who are accessing services in the clinic.”

She said a few screenings were carried out on the IDUs.

“We are getting IDUs here where the main screening happens, which is also where we do point of care testing.

“This is when we do a finger prick to draw blood and just like a pregnancy test, we get the results within 15 minutes. Most of them come back positive for HIV.

“Another sample is sent to a lab which again confirms, 100 per cent of them have HIV.”

Dr Balak said after being found with HIV, each client is then taken through a program to assist them manage the disease.

“HIV positive clients then come to my office where we work with them.”

She said cases they were encountering on a daily basis were far different from what they normally dealt with three years ago.

“The dynamics have changed compared to three years ago as compared to now. Now we hardly see normal sexual transmission of HIV.

“It is mostly done through injecting drugs.

“For me, it is like a culture shock compared to when I was here three years ago when the cases were normal sexual transmission of HIV.

“Yes, we are getting young people, but it wasn’t as young as compared to now.

“Now, it’s on a daily basis, we are getting injecting drug users.”