Congratulations to our colleagues on the publication in a quarterly peer-reviewed medical review journal ‘Current HIV/AIDS Reports’ (Q1)

In collaboration with foreign colleagues, Peter Meylakhs and Anastasia Meylakhs have presented the results of the study 'Young Drug Users: a Vulnerable Population and an Underutilized Resource in HIV/HCV Prevention'.
The social networks of people who inject drugs (PWID) have long been studied to understand disease transmission dynamics and social influences on risky practices.
The authors assessed the drug users’ connections and interactions with others at risk for HIV/HCV in three cities: New York City (USA), Pereira (Colombia), and St. Petersburg (Russia). 
The results of the study shows that people who use drugs can be active players in HIV/HCV and overdose risk- reduction; their networks provide them with ample opportunities to disseminate harm reduction knowledge, strategies, and norms to others at risk. Local communities could augment prevention programming by empowering drug users to be allies in the fight against HIV and facilitating their pre-existing health-protective actions.