Study of the Potential Link Between Problematic Drug Use and HIV/AIDS in Algeria

Coordinated by Badra Moutassem-Mimouni and Nouria Benghabrit-Remaoun, and published in 2006 by the CRASC, this pioneering work analyzes the critical intersection between problematic drug use and the spread of HIV/AIDS in Algeria. Drawing on a pluridisciplinary survey, it highlights a major epidemiological transition : the shift from traditional consumption patterns toward the use of injectable drugs (such as heroin). This shift, combined with the sharing of equipment in secrecy, has created a direct vector for the transmission of the virus and hepatitis. Beyond the medical aspect, the study demonstrates how addiction alters the perception of risk, leading to sexual vulnerability (unprotected sex, subsistence prostitution) that transforms users into an "epidemiological bridge" to the general population. The authors denounce the double stigmatization (drug addiction and HIV-positive status) that pushes these individuals toward extreme marginalization, driving them away from healthcare structures. In conclusion, the book advocates for a paradigm shift in Algeria, prôning the replacement of a purely repressive response with medico-social Harm Reduction (HR) policies in partnership with civil society.