Why Overdose Matters for HIV

For most people who use drugs and people who work with them, overdose is an urgent issue. Many AIDS, harm reduction, and other drug service organisations have created programmes to educate people who use drugs about overdose prevention and response techniques; to distribute naloxone — a safe and highly effective opioid overdose antidote that is included in the World Health Organisation’s Model List of Essential Medicines; and to document the extent of overdose and the success of responses. But funding has been limited.

Recently, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and PEPFAR both issued guidance that they would support these kinds of overdose prevention activities. Service providers should ensure that overdose services are available to their drug-using clients directly or through local referral networks.

This document, prepared by overdose experts Matt Curtis and Nab Dasgupta for OSI and EHRN, presents evidence and arguments that organisations can make to AIDS funders to show that overdose prevention and response matter for HIV programming.

The document is available in English and Russian.