@article{3155903,
    title = "Racial and ethnic disparities and implications for the prevention of HIV
among persons who inject drugs",
    author = "Jarlais, Don C. D. and Cooper, Hannah L. F. and Bramson, Heidi and and Deren, Sherry and Hatzakis, Angelos and Hagan, Holly",
    journal = "CURRENT OPINION IN HIV AND AIDS",
    year = "2012",
    volume = "7",
    number = "4",
    pages = "354-361",
    publisher = "Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins",
    doi = "10.1097/COH.0b013e328353d990",
    keywords = "epidemiology; ethnic minority; global health; HIV; injecting drug use;
people who inject drugs; policy; prevention; people who inject drugs;
racial minority injection drug use",
    abstract = "Purpose of review
There are now an estimated 16 million people who inject drugs (PWID)
throughout the world, 3 million of whom are estimated to be infected
with HIV. In many countries, substantial proportions of PWID belong to
racial/ethnic/nationality minority groups, and are at increased
likelihood of being infected with HIV. This article reviews current
evidence on ethnic disparities in HIV infection among PWID and assesses
the issues that would need to be addressed to reduce these disparities.
Recent findings
An ongoing systematic review of ethnic disparities has found that, in a
pooled weighted odds ratio, ethnic minority PWID are twice as likely to
be HIV seropositive than ethnic majority, PWID from the same geographic
area. If implemented with sufficient quality and coverage, current HIV
prevention programs probably have the capability of ending HIV
transmission among both ethnic majority and minority PWID. Large-scale,
evidence-based prevention programs need to be implemented in the
contexts of patterns of injecting drug use that continue to evolve-with
injecting practices spreading to new areas, changes in drugs injected,
and some transitions from injecting to noninjecting drug use. Lack of
financial resources and policies against evidence-based programming are
increasingly important problems that are likely to have particularly
adverse effects on ethnic minority PWID.
Summary
Racial/ethnic/nationality disparities in HIV infection are quite common
among PWID. Addressing these disparities will be a fundamental challenge
within a human rights approach to public health."
}