Harm Reduction Programs for HIV and Aids

Collectif Urgence Toxida intervene in the field of harm reduction linked to the consumption of drug, mainly injecting drug. Mitigate the impact of HIV and AIDS in one of our main objective. Since 2004 we noticed that there has been a raised in the incidence of HIV and AIDS among people who inject drugs (the graph below will explain). However, in 2006 Needle Exchange Program was officially launched in Mauritius.

On the graph below we can notice that in 2007, the incidence has fallen, in Dec 2014 the incidence rate was at 38%, whereas in March 2015 the incidence rate fallen to 31%.

We can clearly notice that,Harm reduction strategies promote the health of a person, no only against HIV and AIDS, but Hepatitis also. There is a panel of information that the client will have while coming on a Needle exchange program.

In addition. it decrease stigmatisation and discrimination against people who inject drug. Due to the fact that NEP has been popularized, other people in the community saw a PWID as a human.

Even though we have two main Harm reduction strategies (Needle Exchange Program and methadone) in Mauritius, we need to bear in mind that there is a wider range of strategies which can be implemented, and this may fit other people that we may not reach though our actual services.

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