Abstract
Abuse of opioids and related substances have exerted a tremendous economic, social, legal impact apart from its dire consequences on the individual user’s health. Heroin is a quite common illicit opioid that is covertly made available by illegal traders and has a wide client base. The abuser self-administers heroin by two common methods, namely chasing and intravenous injection. Intravenous administration is associated with high risks of contracting parenterally transmitted infections like hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, as well as infective endocarditis, thrombophlebitis etc. The unsafe injecting practices include sharing of needles, syringes, and other paraphernalia. The National Aids Control Programme, currently in its fourth phase (NACP-IV), makes provisions for strategies known as ‘harm reduction’ to prevent transmission of HIV among intravenous drug users. The harm reduction strategies include needle syringe exchange programme (NSEP), behaviour change communication (BCC), outreach, condom promotion, and substitution therapy (1).
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