Cumulative research has shown that comprehensive HIV prevention—drug addiction treatment, community-based outreach, testing, and counseling for HIV and other infections—is the most effective way to reduce risk of blood-borne infections among drug-abusing individuals. NIDA’s extensive prevention research portfolio, begun in the 1980s, shows that comprehensive HIV prevention strategies can be cost effective and reliable in preventing new HIV infections among diverse populations of drug abusers and their communities.²³ Recent research confirms these findings, demonstrating that school- and community-based prevention programs designed for inner-city African-American boys can be effective in reducing high-risk behaviors, including drug abuse and risky sexual practices that can lead to HIV infection.²⁴ This research also underscores the importance of ensuring cultural relevancy for specific populations.

Early detection of HIV is another approach for preventing HIV transmission. Research indicates that routine HIV screening in healthcare settings among populations with a prevalence rate as low as 1 percent is as cost effective as screening for other conditions such as breast cancer and high blood pressure. These findings suggest that HIV screening can lower healthcare costs by preventing high-risk practices and decreasing virus transmission.²⁵,²⁶