DRUG AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE DERAILING FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS

THE scourge of drug and substance abuse is derailing the fight against HIV and AIDS as users are devising new ways of administering drugs into their system.

This comes amid revelations that a new phenomenon, known as hotspotting or bluetoothing, is rocking the streets of Zimbabwe as drug users are finding innovative ways of administering drugs into their bodies.

Most drug users have little or no regard for the safety of the needles they use.

National AIDS Council chief executive, Dr Bernard Madzima, said there was a need for a holistic approach to deal with the issue of injectable drugs.

“If it is happening, it is very unfortunate and dangerous. We know that in other countries like the USA in the 80s and 90s, the use of injectable drugs was one of the things which fueled HIV transmission,” he said.

“Fortunately for Zimbabwe, this had not been a concern over the past two decades, but if the youths are now doing this it means we have a serious issue at hand of our youths using injectable drugs.

“This contamination can be infected blood which can be HIV, Hepatitis B virus so, as NAC, I think it is important that we look at this and see how we can coordinate a response which is multisectoral and holistic.”