Compulsory treatment of drug use in Southeast Asian countries.

Background: Several Southeast Asian countries have implemented compulsory drug detention centres in which people who use or are suspected of using drugs, mainly amphetamine-type stimulants, are confined without their consent and in most cases without due process and clinical evaluation of their substance use disorder. Given these facilities' lack of access to evidence-based drug dependence treatment, and the human rights implications of peoples' arbitrary detention under the pretext of "treatment", international organizations have called for their closure. The aim of this study was to estimate recent numbers of compulsory drug treatment centres and of people in these centres in the region.

HIV prevalence and risk among people who inject drugs in five South African cities.

Background: Policy and programming for people who inject drugs (PWID) in South Africa is limited by the scarcity of epidemiological data.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 450 PWID (362 males and 88 females) from five South African cities in 2013, using outreach and peer referral to recruit participants. We carried out rapid HIV tests on participants' saliva and assessed drug-using and sexual practices by means of a questionnaire.

People who inject drugs in prison: HIV prevalence, transmission and prevention.

In 2011, over 10.1 million people were held in prisons around the world. HIV prevalence is elevated in prison and this is due to the over representation of people who inject drugs (PWID).

[Knowledge and attitudes of prison staff towards HIV/AIDS: a European study].

The goal of this European pilot study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of prison staff from five countries towards HIV infection and to identify factors related to the potential discrimination of HIV-positive inmates. The survey revealed that the levels of knowledge with regard to HIV transmission and the degrees of tolerance varied significantly between prisons. A large proportion of staff overestimated the prevalence of HIV in their prison and feared being contaminated.