Diversity Forum, a consortium of nine organisations working on human rights of key populations, has reiterated the need to give special attention to people who inject drugs so that they are able to prevent themselves from contracting HIV.

According to the Malawi National Strategic Plan, key populations in the country include men who are attracted to fellow men, women who are attracted to fellow women, sex workers, transgender, people who inject drugs and prisoners.

National Coordinator for Diversity Forum, Dunker Kamba, said people who inject drugs are at a high risk of contracting HIV because a single syringe is used by a number of them.

Kamba was speaking in Mzuzu when he addressed journalists on the importance of supporting key populations.

"Transmission of HIV is always high among these people. The recent data on people who inject drugs shows that this population has a very high HIV prevalence rate in Malawi. There is need to target the population because we are talking about ending HIV and AIDS by 2030 and so we do not have to leave any pockets of population behind. If we are to win this battle, we have to target all the populations in Malawi," remarked Kamba.

Kamba commended government for listing the key populations in the National Strategic Plan.

Said Kamba:"The fact that key populations are listed in the National Strategic Plan is a plus because that means government is recognising the populations and striving to work in helping them when it comes to HIV prevention. That is a step in the right direction."

So far, there is a package which is being developed which will see people who inject drugs receive syringes so that they do not share. The understanding is that the general population must accept that those people are there and they engage in the practice. Therefore, it is more expensive to put them on Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) when they contract HIV than to give them syringes as a preventive measure.