Mapping and Situation Assessment of Key Populations at High Risk of HIV in Three Cities in Afghanistan

Little is known about the HIV epidemic status and potential in Afghanistan. Therefore, the World Bank and the Ministry of Public Health agreed to contract with the University of Manitoba to conduct an assessment of vulnerable groups at the highest risk in three cities of Afghanistan. The overall objective of the project was to provide information on the size and characteristics of vulnerable groups at high-risk (HRGs) in urban areas of Afghanistan that could be used for strategy development and program planning. Previous experience suggested that in Afghanistan, Injecting Drug Users (IDUs) comprise the largest, most important, and most vulnerable of these HRGs, so identification and characterization of IDU populations were to receive the most effort and focus. The specific objectives of the project were to estimate the size and distribution of HRGs and describe their socio-cultural characteristics, the HIV-related knowledge and relevant risk behaviors, and the HIV prevalence and associated socio-cultural and behavioral correlates. This study was part of a multi-country project supported by the Government of the Netherlands through the World Bank–Netherlands Partnership Program. Hard copies of the report "Mapping and Situation Assessment of Key Populations at High Risk of HIV in Three Cities of Afghanistan" are  available on request from Silvia Albert, (202.458.2166). The methodology might be of interest to other national programs that want to do social mapping to better tailor the response to the drivers of the HIV epidemic.