Drug use and the spread of HIV/AIDS in South America and the Caribbean

Abstract

ABSTRACT We review available data on drug use with respect to the spread of HIV/AIDS in South America and the Caribbean. Although many information gaps remain, the emerging picture clearly shows the significant role of both injected cocaine and crack cocaine in the Brazilian epidemic, and the increasingly large role of injecting cocaine in the Southern Cone. The Caribbean and the Ande an regions are thus far spared from extensive diffusion of injecting drugs and its consequences. However, the se regions are now experiencing a significant transition, in terms of an increasing role of crack cocaine in the Caribbean HIV/AIDS epidemic, and the recent introduction of he roin and initiation of drug injection in the Ande an region. Harm-reduction strategies are being implemented for the first time in recent ye ars after a long de lay, but remain primarily restricted to Brazil, and to a lesser extent, Argentina. Yet even in the se settings, harm-reduction programme s such as needle-exchange programme s face considerable challenge s with respect to restrictive legislation and lack of broader support