UNSW: ‘Systemic Failure’: Global Reviews Show Extent of Injecting Drug Use and Infectious Diseases in Prisons

9 February 2026

University of New South Wales (UNSW) press release

One in nine people in prisons globally have a history of injecting drug use and their risk of HIV, viral hepatitis and TB is up to 45 times higher than in the general population.

Yet access to infectious disease prevention, treatment and harm reduction services remains woefully inadequate, with most countries failing to provide basic coverage, according to two landmark reviews published in the International Journal of Drug Policy.

Read the full press release here.

Source: UNSW