World AIDS Day 2024: new EUDA tool for monitoring drug-related infectious diseases

On World AIDS Day, the EUDA is showcasing a new resource outlining key steps to be taken when launching surveys to monitor HIV and viral hepatitis in people who inject drugs.

The Drug-related infectious diseases (DRID) technical protocol - surveys on HIV and viral hepatitis in people who inject drugs includes sections on:

• planning and implementing surveys;
• conducting the study;
• sampling, recruitment and study sites;
• specimen collection and testing;
• data collection, management and analysis;
• ethical considerations and data protection;
• logistical aspects;
• reporting and disseminating results.

Surveys of this kind can help track progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals and related elimination targets. They can also gather crucial insights on drug use patterns and access to harm reduction services for this key population.

The protocol is accompanied by 'Best practice examples of surveys for monitoring drug-related infectious diseases in the EU/EEA'. This supplement includes real-world examples of the various survey steps.

Europe's commitment to ending AIDS

Under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing), the 29 EUDA countries (EU-27, Türkiye, and Norway) have committed to eliminating the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2030. A WHO regional plan sets interim targets for 2025 to help achieve this goal.

The WHO's 95-95-95 targets aim to ensure that 95% of people living with HIV are tested, 95% of those diagnosed are on antiretroviral therapy, and 95% of those treated achieve viral suppression by 2030. According to the European Drug Report 2024: 'By 2022, no EUDA reporting country had yet reached all 95-95-95 WHO targets for the continuum of care among people who inject drugs living with HIV'. Closing this gap requires greater investment in harm reduction services, testing, and treatment to reduce transmission and improve health outcomes.