Disconnect Between Official Estimates And Actual Prevalence Of Injection Drug Use In Tajikistan

"The problem of injecting drug use and the related increase in the number of diagnosed HIV infections remains of high importance in the Republic of Tajikistan. According to official statistics, 7,135 drug-dependent persons were registered in the Republic as of January 1, 2012.

"It should be noted that these figures do not reflect the actual situation. According to an estimate by the AIDS Projects Management Group (APMG), made using calibrated empirical data and the data on registration in the drug service, the number of IDUs in Tajikistan should be estimated at 25,000, with a possible range of 20,000-30,000 (AIDS Projects Management Group, 2009).

"The number of registered heroin-dependent persons in Tajikistan between 1997 (the beginning of the epidemic of heroin use in Tajikistan) and 2011 is 5,755."

Source

Hasanov Kh.B., Muhabatov M.S., Makhsutov M.N., Chikalov Y.P., Murodova F.R., and Nurlyaminova Z.A. 2012 National Report on the Drug Situation in the Republic of Tajikistan (Drug situation in 2011). Dushanbe: National Centre for Monitoring and Prevention of Drug Addiction, Ministry of Health of the Republic of Tajikistan/Central Asia Drug Action Programme (CADAP).