Scaling up HIV prevention efforts targeting people who inject drugs in Central Asia: A review of key challenges and ways forward

Abstract Background In Central Asia, between 33% and 72% of cumulative HIV infections has been attributed to unsafe injection practices among people who inject drugs (PWID). Methods We reviewed the current status and trends of national efforts in Central Asian countries to control HIV among PWID, and also reviewed the key structural and health-systems-related challenges that facilitate drug-use-related HIV risk in Central Asia. Results The spectrum and scale of HIV prevention services targeting PWID vary considerably among Central Asian countries. In all countries, the potential impact of these interventions is hindered by several key features: a restrictive legal environment, poor performance of service providers, widespread opposition to harm reduction, deficient human resources and funding mechanisms, poor services integration, insufficient community involvement, and other structural factors. Conclusions Scaling up HIV prevention interventions in Central Asia will demand greater attention to the structural, health-care-related and social factors that facilitate HIV risk and impede service utilization among PWID. Multi-level combination prevention interventions should be developed with a focus on the sexual partners and risk networks of PWID, aiming at early detection of HIV, timely enrollment in HIV care, and retention in HIV care.