Afghanistan: Reference Materials
 | This evaluation aims to assess the levels of drug use and associated high-risk behaviours in the prison population of Sarpoza Prison, Kandahar, in order to inform the subsequent planning and provision of prison-based and community-based (prison aftercare) treatment and harm reduction service delivery. Download this publication |
 | The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is happy to submit its first United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) country progress report on HIV and AIDS to add to the richness of global strategic information in response to HIV and AIDS. Download this publication |
 | The human face of Afghanistan’s drug problem is not only seen on the streets of Moscow, London or Paris, it is in the eyes of its own citizens, dependent on a daily dose of opium, heroin, cannabis, painkillers and tranquilizers. Download this publication |
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Between October- November 2008, a small rapid assessment of male adolescent sexual exploitation and abuse, along with HIV risk and vulnerability among males who have sex with males, was conducted in Kabul, Kandahar and Maz-e-Sharif in Afghanistan. Preceding this, a scoping mission, a literature review, and a training workshop for the study teams were conducted. Download this publication |
| Following almost three decades of war, Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world. GDP per capita is estimated at about US$360 for 2007 (IMF 2007a). Life expectancy at birth is only 44.5 years (UNDP 2008), and maternal and child mortality are among the highest in the world. The literacy rate in the general population is very low (36 percent), especially for women (13 percent) (World Bank 2007). Download this publication |
| Little current information is available for prevalence of vertically-transmitted infections among the Afghan population. The purpose of this study is to determine prevalence and correlates of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), syphilis, and hepatitis B and C infection among obstetric patients and model hepatitis B vaccination approaches in Kabul, Afghanistan. Download this publication |
| Reliable data on HIV prevalence in Afghanistan is sparse. To date, 478 HIV cases have been reported. However, UNAIDS and WHO estimate that there could be between 1,000 and 2,000 Afghans living with HIV. The HIV epidemic is at an early stage in Afghanistan and is concentrated among high-risk groups, mainly injecting drug users (IDUs) and their partners. Afghanistan’s emerging epidemic likely hinges on a combination of injecting drug use and unsafe paid sex. According to a 2006 study, 3 percent of IDUs in Kabul were HIV positive. Download this publication |
| Afghanistan faces a high risk of HIV/AIDS epidemic. In responding to the challenge, the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (I-ANDS) established a five year goal as: “By Jaddi 1389 (end-2010), a low prevalence of HIV positive cases (<0.5%) in the population will be maintained in order to reduce mortality and morbidity associated with HIV/AIDS” Download this publication |
| Recent studies on HIV transmission in Asian countries characterize an epidemic which centers largely around three behaviors: 1) shared needles and syringes, 2) unprotected sex with sex workers, and 3) unprotected sex between males. While HIV cases are not confined to these three most-at-risk populations (Injecting Drug Users (IDUs), Sex Workers (SWs) and their clients, and men who have sex with men (MSM)), the speed and direction of HIV transmission largely depends on the size, behavior, and access to information of these sub- populations. Download this publication |
