African Journal: Role of substance abuse in the African HIV/AIDS epidemic

Editor-in-chief Isidore S. Obot says in the introduction of the journal that "Though substance abuse, especially injecting drug use, has long been associated with HIV infection in western countries and is today the driving force behind the rapid spread of infections in some low and middle income countries, not much is known about the role of alcohol and drug use in the African HIV/AIDS epidemic".

The papers in this issue of the African Journal of Drug and Alcohol Studies (Vol 5, No 2/2006) are a first coordinated attempt to address the gap in our understanding of the direct and indirect links between substance use and HIV infection based on research conducted in seven countries – Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia.

The titles of the articles are:

• Substance Abuse and HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa: Introduction to the Special Issue
• Heroin use in Kenya and Findings from A Community Based Outreach Programme to Reduce the Spread of HIV/AIDS
• The Injecting Drug use and HIV/AIDS Nexus in the Republic of Mauritius
• Drug use and HIV Infection in Nigeria: A Review of Recent Findings
• HIV and Substance Abuse: The Dual Epidemics Challenging Zanzibar
• Risk Behaviour and HIV Among Drug Using Populations in South Africa Substance Abuse, HIV Risk and HIV/AIDS in Tanzania
• Three-Country Assessment of Alcohol-HIV Related Policy and Programmematic Responses in Africa
• Report of First Pan African Consultation on Alcohol Policy and its Significance for the Region
• Summary of the Proceedings of Meeting on ‘Alcohol, HIV Risk Behaviours and Transmission in Africa: Developing Programmemes for the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)’

The journal can be downloaded in pdf version here.