Rapid assessment of the situation on spread of injecting drug use and HIV infection in Yerevan, Armenia

In 2000 a rapid assessment of the situation on the spread of injecting drug use and HIV infection was conducted for the first time in Yerevan, capital of the Republic of Armenia, within the framework of the UNAIDS/UNDP project ‘Support to the National Strategic Planning Process for National Response to HIV/AIDS’. Injecting of heroin and other drugs has increased. According to the Sentinel Epidemiological Surveillance HIV prevalence among injecting drug users (IDUs) is between 9 and 19%. IDUs are characterised at high risk of HIV infection. There are objective preconditions for sexual transmission of HIV to become more widespread among IDUs as well as among non-drug injecting population. The low accessibility of IDUs hinders the implementation of preventive interventions. Current services and prevention activities are inadequate.