Policy guidelines for collaborative TB and HIV services for injecting and other drug users

Overview

In many settings, the epidemic of drug use has become intertwined with the HIV and the TB epidemics. Health systems have often responded with separate policies and structures, to the detriment of the individual user and their communities. These guidelines are intended for professionals dealing with the drug users who have the most problematic patterns of use and who have the greatest risk of HIV and TB, especially those who inject drugs. Drug users have high rates of HIV infection, mainly due to unsafe injecting behaviour. Drug users also have increased rates of TB infection, whether living with HIV or not. HIV infection greatly increases the risk of transition from TB infection to TB disease.