Scaling up HIV prevention efforts targeting people who inject drugs in Central Asia: a review of key challenges and ways forward.

Background: In Central Asia, between 33% and 72% of cumulative HIV infections has been attributed to unsafe injection practices among people who inject drugs (PWID).

Methods: We reviewed the current status and trends of national efforts in Central Asian countries to control HIV among PWID, and also reviewed the key structural and health-systems-related challenges that facilitate drug-use-related HIV risk in Central Asia.

Results: The spectrum and scale of HIV prevention services targeting PWID vary considerably among Central Asian countries.

Gender disparities in HIV infection among persons who inject drugs in Central Asia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Disparities in HIV infection, with females having higher rates of HIV infection than males, have been noted among persons who inject drugs (PWID) in many countries. We examined male/female HIV disparities among PWID in Central Asia and compared these disparities with patterns worldwide.

Methods: A systematic review and meta-analyses were conducted for studies reporting HIV prevalence by gender among PWID.

Evaluation of a pilot medication-assisted therapy program in Kazakhstan: successes, challenges, and opportunities for scaleup.

Study Aims. Evaluate the quality and effectiveness of the medication-assisted therapy (MAT) pilot in Kazakhstan and review implementation context and related challenges. Methods.