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Whoonga and the Abuse and Diversion of Antiretrovirals in Soweto, South Africa

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Abstract

Media reports have described recreational use of HIV antiretroviral medication in South Africa, but little has been written about this phenomenon in the scientific literature. We present original, qualitative data from eight semi-structured interviews that characterize recreational antiretroviral use in Soweto, South Africa. Participants reported that antiretrovirals, likely efavirenz, are crushed, mixed with illicit drugs (in a mixture known as whoonga), and smoked. They described medications being stolen from patients and expressed concern that antiretroviral abuse jeopardized the safety of both patients and users. Further studies are needed to understand the prevalence, patterns, and consequences of antiretroviral abuse and diversion.

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Conflict of interest

We have no conflicts of interest to declare.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Kathryn Rough & David J. Grelotti

  2. Division of Women’s Health, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 1620 Tremont Street, 3rd Floor BWH, Boston, MA, USA

    Kathryn Rough & Ingrid T. Katz

  3. Perinatal HIV Research Unit, Soweto, South Africa

    Janan Dietrich, Thandekile Essien & Glenda Gray

  4. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    David R. Bansberg & Ingrid T. Katz

  5. Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Global Health, Boston, MA, USA

    David R. Bansberg & Ingrid T. Katz

  6. Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    David R. Bansberg

Authors
  1. Kathryn Rough
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  2. Janan Dietrich
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  3. Thandekile Essien
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  4. David J. Grelotti
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  5. David R. Bansberg
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  6. Glenda Gray
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  7. Ingrid T. Katz
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ingrid T. Katz.

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Rough, K., Dietrich, J., Essien, T. et al. Whoonga and the Abuse and Diversion of Antiretrovirals in Soweto, South Africa. AIDS Behav 18, 1378–1380 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-013-0683-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-013-0683-x

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