Drug use and harm reduction in Afghanistan

Opium has been cultivated in Afghanistan since 1100 A.D., although production has steadily increased since 1979. Currently, Afghanistan produces three-quarters of the global opium supply, with injection drug use and HIV currently following the opium trade route through Central Asia. Although systematic studies are lacking, heroin use appears to be on the rise in Afghanistan. The purpose of this paper is to briefly provide historical background and current statistics for drug production and use in Afghanistan, to discuss the new government's policies towards problem drug use and available rehabilitation programs, and to assess Afghan harm reduction needs with consideration of regional trends

HIV, Hepatitis C, and Hepatitis B Infections and Associated Risk Behavior in Injection Drug Users, Kabul, Afghanistan

Behavior of injection drug users increases the risk for an HIV epidemic

Association between expatriation and HIV awareness and knowledge among injecting drug users in Kabul, Afghanistan: A cross-sectional comparison of former refugees to those remaining during conflict

BACKGROUND: Little is known about human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) awareness among Afghan injecting drug users (IDUs), many of whom initiated injecting as refugees. We explored whether differences in HIV awareness and knowledge exist between Afghan IDUs who were refugees compared to those never having left Afghanistan. METHODS: A convenience sample of IDUs in Kabul, Afghanistan was recruited into a cross-sectional study through street outreach over a one year period beginning in 2005. Participants completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire and underwent voluntary counseling and testing for HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B surface antigen, and hepatitis C antibody. Differences in HIV awareness and specific HIV knowledge between IDU who lived outside the country in the last decade versus those who had not were assessed with logistic regression. RESULTS: Of 464 IDUs, 463 (99%) were male; median age and age at first injection were 29 and 25 years, respectively. Most (86.4%) had lived or worked outside the country in the past ten years. Awareness of HIV was reported by 46.1%; those having been outside the country in the last decade were significantly more likely to have heard of HIV (48.3% vs. 31.7%; OR = 2.00, 95% CI: 1.14 – 3.53). However, of those aware of HIV, only 38.3% could name three correct transmission routes; specific HIV knowledge was not significantly associated with residence outside the country. CONCLUSION: Accurate HIV knowledge among Afghan IDUs is low, though former refugees had greater HIV awareness. Reported high-risk injecting behavior was not significantly different between IDU that were refugees and those that did not leave the country, indicating that all Afghan IDU should receive targeted prevention programming

Investigating the Factors that Increase Traffic Accidents and Choosing Appropriate Solutions for Afghanistan's Roads

Generally, traffic problems and issues are divided into two functional and safety categories. Functional problems appear in the form of long delays in one or more directions of movement and safety problems, usually in the form of multiple interferences, incorrect maneuvers, non-compliance with traffic control devices, and, ultimately, accidents. Obtaining sufficient and reliable information for making decisions and implementing effective interventions in the field of reducing traffic accidents is of particular importance. This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the factors that increase accidents and providing correct solutions. In order to obtain the basic factors of the increase in accidents and to introduce suitable solutions, a questionnaire with the content of the factors of the increase in accidents and reduction of road accidents in Afghanistan was prepared and arranged and given to the people (drivers, passengers, pedestrians, managers). traffic, traffic police, and civil servants) was distributed at different levels (Bac Loria, bachelor, master, and doctorate). After collecting and analyzing the questionnaires, the field data was analyzed by the SPSS program, and according to the output of the program, among the 21 questions of the questionnaire, the questions that need to be answered have received more attention. In this study, excessive use of depreciated cars, non-existence of stops, non-observance of traffic rules (driving), and non-standard transport routes are increasing factors, as installation of traffic signboards in prominent places, the separation of roads based on the nature of light and heavy vehicles, the correct use of public roads, compliance with the speed limit and not overtaking the zigzags of cars. Legal dealings with violators were known to be the factors that reduce accidents, and Eliminating the increasing factors and considering the decreasing factors of this research is offered to the competent authorities

Exploring Challenges Faced by Engineering Students in Graphic Preparations of Perspective Geometry

Perspective geometry is a fundamental, challenging, and captivating subject within the engineering bachelor's degree program. It holds significant importance in developing graphic skills, analytical abilities, sketching proficiency, and comprehension of drawings. Moreover, it plays a crucial role in organizing the architectural components of a bachelor's thesis. However, the teaching and learning of perspective geometry often reveal various difficulties and shortcomings. Moreover, one of the various systems of symbols and languages created by global cultures is the graphical language, which is an exceptional and unparalleled language for understanding scientific and technical information. This language is considered the oldest international language. Every visual piece of information in various processes of human life has been formed through the graphical language, which is composed of various geometric shapes. In this research, data has been gathered from the perspectives of first-year students from the 2013 batch regarding the difficulties encountered in perspective geometry. A questionnaire was distributed to collect their opinions, and three graphical tasks with different levels of complexity were given to the students. The results obtained from this study indicate that employing suitable teaching methods and providing adequate resources can alleviate most of the learning difficulties associated with graphic skills. Instructors also play a pivotal role in resolving learning obstacles. Therefore, efforts should be made to enhance the quality of teaching graphic subjects by updating the content and curriculum of educational programs and improving teaching methods through the use of technology. In higher education institutions, conditions for fostering students' professional knowledge, enhancing their ability to draw maps and create technical documents can be facilitated through computer graphics education. Updating the teaching methods plays a crucial role in improving the quality of graphic education. The mentioned factors provide a suitable environment for the growth of graphic knowledge and the implementation of projects related to professional subjects

HIV, hepatitis C, and hepatitis B infections and associated risk behavior in injection drug users, Kabul, Afghanistan.

Limited prevalence data for HIV, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) exist for Afghanistan. We studied a cross-sectional sample of adult injection drug users (IDUs) in Kabul, Afghanistan, from June 2005 through June 2006. Study participants completed interviewer-administered questionnaires and underwent testing for HIV, antibody to HCV, and HBsAg. Overall prevalences of HIV, HCV, and HBsAg were 3.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.7%-5.1%), 36.6% (95% CI 32.2%-41.0%), and 6.5% (95% CI 4.2%-8.7%), respectively (N = 464). Among male IDUs (n = 463), risky behavior, including sharing syringes (50.4%), paying women for sex (76.2%), and having sex with men or boys (28.3%), were common. Needle sharing, injecting for > or = 3 years, and receiving injections from nonmedical providers were independently associated with increased risk for HCV infection. The high prevalence of risky behavior indicate that Kabul is at risk for an HIV epidemic. Scale-up of harm-reducing interventions is urgently needed

Lessons from integration of mass nutrition screening during combined BOPV/IPV campaign in armed conflict settings, Borno State, Nigeria

This paper examines the spatial and temporal characteristics of droughts during the rainy season (May-October) for 1965-2010 over northern Nigeria using monthly rainfall data from station rain gauges. The spatial distribution of rainfall is identified by Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), which also characterizes specific temporal drought events. Mann-Kendall trend test is applied to analyze the changes in the drought trend and also to confirm the significance of the observed trends. The results of the analysis show major changes in the drought characteristics in northern Nigeria during the major dry episodes (1973-1983) and major wet episodes (1996-2010). For the period 1965-1985, all the stations showed a decreasing trend both in 3 and 6 months time scales. In contrast, 87.5% of the stations showed an increasing trend for the period 1985-2010, with Maiduguri, Nguru, Kano, Katsina and Yelwa showing significant increases, the prolonged dry spell in the 1970’s and 1980’s was shown clearly in some of the analyses. A large number of further observations would be required to put some of these findings on a finer basis for the Sahelian drought characterization. It is recommended that agricultural organizations and disaster  management parastatals should be pro-active in drought adaptation and mitigation planning.Keywords: Standardized Precipitation Index, Spatial, Temporal, drought, Mann-Kendall, trend