Injecting drug users (IDU)

The transmission of HIV through sharing equipment for injecting drugs has remained at relatively low levels in the UK, at around 5% of all transmissions. This is due primarily to needle exchange programmes and other harm reduction programmes, such as methadone maintenance (which is taken orally). In contrast, 44% of HIV infections in Eastern Europe in 2009 involved intravenous drug use.

In 2010, 160 people contracted HIV in this way, accounting for just 2.4% of the total cases of HIV that were diagnosed and this rate has remained fairly level since the 1990s. IDUs who share injecting equipment are also at higher risk of conditions such as Hepatitis B and C. Almost half of IDUs may be infected with the more easily transmitted Hepatitis C from anonymous surveys.

Statistics

In 2010, around 1,800 IDUs were living with diagnosed HIV. Including undiagnosed infection this could be as high as 2,300. Among this group:

• There have been 5,499 known HIV cases amongst IDUs from the beginning of the epidemic through to the end of 2010, which is just under 5% of all cases ever diagnosed in the UK 
• Only 2.3% of people accessing care for HIV were IDUs in 2010. This may be due to non-attendance of clinics and a relatively high death rate amongst IDUs 
• In the UK, HIV diagnoses amongst IDUs have remained at a fairly low rate since the beginning of the epidemic compared to many other countries.