Geographical Disparities of People who Inject Drugs and Associated Needle Sharing in the Selected States in Nigeria: A Call for Urgent Intervention Programmes

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to determine the distribution and needle sharing among people who inject drugs (PWIDs) in four Nigerian prioritised states.
Methodology: This cross‑sectional study was conducted in Abuja, Nasarawa, Anambra and Gombe. The hotspots of PWIDs were identified
through informant interviews in hotels, clubhouses, and bars and eight focus group discussion was conducted among the PWIDs in each state to determine reasons for injecting drugs and syringe sharing. Data obtained were analysed using IBM‑SPSS version 25 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY) and Microsoft Excel 2019.
Results: Most PWIDs were found in Gombe (40.5%) and Nasarawa (39.8%) states. They were mainly found in streets/public places (47.6%), bar/nightclubs (12.5%), trailer parks (4.8%) and brothels (3.8%). In Anambra and Federal Capital Territory (FCT), most hotspots had between 1 and 10 PWIDs (54.8% and 53.1%, respectively). About 53.5% of Gombe hotspots had 11–20 PWIDs. In Nasarawa state, most hotspots had 1–10 or 11‑20 PWIDs.
Conclusion: It is recommended that the government and other stakeholders develop and support intervention programmes to increase human immunodeficiency virus risk awareness among PWIDs further and alleviate the suffering of the people due to insurgency.