The World Health Organization (WHO) released an operational guide providing practical, evidence-based guidance to support countries in planning, implementing and scaling up needle and syringe programmes for people who inject drugs as part of comprehensive harm reduction responses. It translates WHO’s recommendations into actionable steps for programme managers, implementers, donors and community-led organizations.
The guide presents a structured framework covering assessment and planning, service delivery models, integration with broader health and social services, monitoring, and sustainability. It emphasizes community leadership, human rights, equitable access and adaptation to local contexts, including closed settings. Practical tools are included to support implementation and accelerate progress towards global targets for controlling HIV and eliminating viral hepatitis epidemics.
Access the guide here.
To mark the release of the guide, the International Network on Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users (INHSU) co-hosted a launch webinar with the World Health Organization and Médecins du Monde, sharing the key insights from the guide, alongside case studies, community insights, and practical implementation guidance.
Read the key takeaways here.
Source : World Health Organization
Related HIV and Co-Infections News
Get involved
Are you living with HIV/AIDS? Are you part of a community affected by HIV/AIDS and co-infections? Do you work or volunteer in the field? Are you motivated by our cause and interested to support our work?
Subscribe
Stay in the loop and get all the important EATG updates in your inbox with the EATG newsletter. The HIV & co-infections bulletin is your source of handpicked news from the field arriving regularly to your inbox.