SynthesisHarm reduction journal2021
Prevalence of HIV and HCV among injecting drug users in three selected WHO-EMRO countries: a meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Harm reduction journal, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Hepatitis C distribution across diverse population groups in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: An umbrella review.PloS one · 2026Pooled it
- Convenience, rapport and skill: effective rural hepatitis C treatment, qualitative findings from a mobile harm reduction-informed tele-medicine intervention in Northern New England, 2022-2024.Harm reduction journal · 2026Trial
- Exploring Sexually Transmitted and Bloodborne Infection Rates in Florida After Implementation of Syringe Services Programs: A Quasi-Experimental Study.AJPM focus · 2026Article
- High prevalence of seronegative occult hepatitis C in high-risk individuals.Iranian journal of microbiology · 2026Article
- An update on bloodborne viruses among people who inject drugs in South Asia.Harm reduction journal · 2026Review
- Assessing the knowledge, attitudes, and psychological health of people who use drugs towards Hepatitis C: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Impact pathways of adverse childhood experiences on infectious diseases among substance abusers in border regions: structural equation modeling.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Validity of dried blood spot testing for sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections: A narrative systematic review.PLOS global public health · 2024Article
- Odds of HIV among incarcerated drug users: a systematic review and meta-analysis of Asian countries.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2023Article
- Assessing secular trends in HIV rapid diagnostic test uptake and positivity in Northeast Iran, a country in MENA region; ingredients for target-specific prevention policies.BMC infectious diseases · 2023Article
- Prevalence and risk factors for hepatitis C virus infection in an informal settlement in Karachi, Pakistan.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
- Hepatitis C Virus Dynamic Transmission Models Among People Who Inject Drugs.Infection and drug resistance · 2023Review
- Phylogenetic Analysis of Spread of Hepatitis C Virus Identified during HIV Outbreak Investigation, Unnao, India.Emerging infectious diseases · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHIV and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infections are responsible for a significant burden of mortality and morbidity, particularly in developing countries. This study sought to determine the prevalence of HIV and Hepatitis C among injecting drug users in Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan.
methodsThis review conforms to the Preferred Reporting Guidelines for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. Databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science/Knowledge, SID.ir, and MAGIRAN were searched. Studies that were published from 2003 up to 2018 were considered for analysis. Studies were screened for inclusion in duplicate, and also, that data were narratively synthesized.
resultsWe report on data from 79 articles. The total number of participants in studies that assessed the prevalence of HIV among injecting drug users included 68,926 participants, while those from studies that assessed HCV prevalence were 23,016 participants. Overall HIV and HCV prevalence among injecting drug users in the three selected countries were 9.1% (95% CI 6.9-12.0%) and 48.3% (95% CI 43.9-52.7%), respectively. Iran had the highest HIV prevalence of 11.0% among injectable drug users (95% CI 8.4-14.2%), while Afghanistan had the lowest HIV prevalence of 3.1% (95% CI 1.5-6.3%) among three selected countries. In Pakistan, the prevalence of HIV was 8.6% (95% CI 4.8-15.0%). Regarding HCV prevalence, Pakistan had the highest while Afghanistan had the lowest, 54.4% (95% CI 33.5-73.9%) and 37.3% (95% CI 35.2-39.4%), respectively. HCV prevalence in Iran was 47.7% (95% CI 43.4-52.0%).
conclusionInjecting drug users form a special cohort of persons at risk of HIV and Hepatitis C infections. The prevalence of HIV and Hepatitis noted from our findings is significantly high. Awareness of the grave risk of spreading HIV and Hepatitis C associated with sharing needles is recommended among this sub-group of drug users.
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