Recently, CDC used meta-analysis to estimate the proportion of the U.S. population who are men who have sex with men (MSM) and quantify the burden of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases among MSM [12]. Population size estimates together with census and surveillance data were used to calculate disease rates among MSM. Applying this established method, in this report we estimate the population proportion of PWID and quantify the burden of HIV and HCV infections among PWID. We conducted a meta-analysis of national surveys to estimate the proportion of persons in the U.S. who have injected drugs, used these estimates to calculate disease metrics for PWID using national surveillance data for HIV infection, and calculated rate ratios by gender, race/ethnicity, and age. We used other methods to estimate rates of HIV infection among PWID in Puerto Rico and rates of HCV infection among adult PWID in the U.S. The estimates of the number of PWID and rates of HIV and HCV infection among PWID are needed to effectively plan, implement at an appropriate scale, and evaluate programs that serve PWID with or at risk for bloodborne infections such as HIV, HBV, or HCV.
