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Illicit Drug Users in the Tanzanian Hinterland: Population Size Estimation Through Key Informant-Driven Hot Spot Mapping

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Abstract

We mapped hot spots and estimated the numbers of people who use drugs (PWUD) and who inject drugs (PWID) in 12 regions of Tanzania. Primary (ie, current and past PWUD) and secondary (eg, police, service providers) key informants identified potential hot spots, which we visited to verify and count the number of PWUD and PWID present. Adjustments to counts and extrapolation to regional estimates were done by local experts through iterative rounds of discussion. Drug use, specifically cocaine and heroin, occurred in all regions. Tanga had the largest numbers of PWUD and PWID (5190 and 540, respectively), followed by Mwanza (3300 and 300, respectively). Findings highlight the need to strengthen awareness of drug use and develop prevention and harm reduction programs with broader reach in Tanzania. This exercise provides a foundation for understanding the extent and locations of drug use, a baseline for future size estimations, and a sampling frame for future research.

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Funding

This research was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) [#U2 GPS 001472].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Global Programs, University of California, San Francisco, Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania

    Joel Ndayongeje

  2. Drug Control Commission, Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania

    Amani Msami, Yovin Ivo Laurent, Syangu Mwankemwa, Moza Makumbuli & Alois M. Ngonyani

  3. Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, 550 16th Street, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA

    Jenny Tiberio, Susie Welty, Christen Said, Meghan D. Morris & Willi McFarland

Authors
  1. Joel Ndayongeje
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  2. Amani Msami
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  3. Yovin Ivo Laurent
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  4. Syangu Mwankemwa
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  5. Moza Makumbuli
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  6. Alois M. Ngonyani
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  7. Jenny Tiberio
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  8. Susie Welty
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  9. Christen Said
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  10. Meghan D. Morris
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  11. Willi McFarland
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Willi McFarland.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The protocol was reviewed and approved by the National Institute for Medical Research in Tanzania, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Institutional Review Board of the University of California, San Francisco.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Ndayongeje, J., Msami, A., Laurent, Y.I. et al. Illicit Drug Users in the Tanzanian Hinterland: Population Size Estimation Through Key Informant-Driven Hot Spot Mapping. AIDS Behav 22 (Suppl 1), 4–9 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-018-2057-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-018-2057-x

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