Emerging HIV epidemics in muslim countries: Assessment of different cultural responses to harm reduction and implications for HIV control |
| |
Authors: | Catherine S Todd Bijan Nassiramanesh Mohammad Raza Stanekzai Adeeba Kamarulzaman |
| |
Institution: | (1) Division of International Health and Cross-cultural Medicine, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, Mailstop 0622, La Jolla, CA 92093-0622, USA |
| |
Abstract: | Harm reduction, including needle exchange and opioid substitution therapy, has been demonstrated to reduce high-risk behavior
and HIV infection among injection drug users. An increasing number of countries in the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia,
including those with Muslim majorities, have experienced or are at risk for HIV epidemics initiated by burgeoning injection
drug use. Although use of intoxicants is expressly forbidden within Islam, the local culture impacts the interpretation of
Islamic law and influences the response to drug misuse, whether punitive or therapeutic. Harm reduction programming has received
varying acceptance within this global region, which may be reflected by national trends in HIV prevalence. The purpose of
this paper is to examine cultural and religious response to injecting drug use and associated HIV prevalence trends in Malaysia
and Iran, with possible application of lessons learned to an emerging situation in Afghanistan. |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 PubMed SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|