A First in Sub-Saharan Africa: Methadone Maintenance Program

Tanzania's Muhimbili Hospital in Dar es Salaam has become home to sub-Saharan Africa's first methadone clinic. It is being financed by the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, created by former President George W. Bush.

Heroin use has recently increased in Tanzania, in part because its harbors are used to transport the drug, primarily from Afghanistan to Europe. The country now has upwards of 25,000 injection drug users, 40 percent of them HIV-positive, said the San Francisco-based Pangaea Global AIDS Foundation, which is advising Tanzanian officials on the clinic.

Last year, an American researcher reported Tanzanian drug users engaging in "flashblood," where users inject each other with their blood to share intoxication.

Methadone is more addictive than heroin, though it will be distributed in oral doses too low to get high. The American Embassy in Tanzania has said it is "fully aware that challenges will likely be encountered whilst services are being established."

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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