Repeated surveys of people who inject drugs: The exception, not the rule

HIV surveillance is the continuous, systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of HIV-related data needed for the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the HIV response. Some communities are affected by HIV more than others and require more focused responses; one of these communities are people who inject drugs (PWID.) We reviewed HIV surveillance among PWID across all countries. We identified countries with specific repeated surveys among PWID using data submitted to the UNAIDS Global AIDS Monitoring system, supplemented by national reports from countries that do not report to UNAIDS. Countries with four or more surveys since 2011, with at least one since 2017, were sent a brief survey to ask the use and relevance of the collected data for their respective HIV responses and the challenges they foresaw. Thirty-two countries were polled, of which 17 responded. Respondents highlighted the utility of the surveys to measure HIV prevalence, antiretroviral treatment and other service use. Future funding and maintaining capacity to implement surveys are current or coming challenges.