Some 20 years ago, when AIDS was recognized, the response was triggered by men who have sex with men. These men initiated action to reduce the risk of HIV by promoting healthy sex, caring for those affected by AIDS and advocating for more attention to HIV throughout society. Men must continue to make a difference through the strengthening of effective prevention of HIV spread. Men have a key role to play in controlling HIV epidemics among injecting drug users. The overwhelming majority of injecting drug users in all regions are men, particularly young men.
Men usually control drug injecting situations.
In drug sharing occasions usually the men inject first, passing the potentially contaminated injecting equipment onto their female injecting partners, increasing the partner s exposure to HIV and other blood-borne infections. There is evidence from Brazil and the USA that, given the opportunity, male drug injectors will also change their behaviour to protect both themselves and their sexual and drug-using partners. WHO is scaling up efforts for the better reproductive and sexual health of men and women. WHO contributes to the global effort to track the epidemic and to monitor the effectiveness with which it is tackled. However, until men take responsibility for preventing HIV, the epidemic will continue to grow.