‘Bluetooth’ injecting is a practice where the blood of a person who has just injected drugs, is drawn and then injected by a friend to also experience this high. This happens when a person does not have money for a fix and starts experiencing withdrawal symptoms. This is a major health risk, especially for transmitting diseases that are carried in blood, such as Hepatitis B and HIV.

Bluetooth injecting has had recent media coverage. This provides a good opportunity to share information about COSUP (Community Oriented Substance Use Project), run by UP’s Department of Family Medicine, and the StepUP project, run by OUT Wellbeing.

COSUP – Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) is an important part of the management of people who inject drugs. A programme to provide OST is developed for implementation in Tshwane. 

StepUP – The aim of StepUP is to reduce HIV and similar harms in people who inject drugs by offering health services to them. StepUP runs a needle and syringe programme which provides clean needles and syringes to people who inject drugs, so that the sharing of needles is minimised.

Nelson Medeiros, the Project Manager of StepUP, did an interview with Eyewitness News and accompanied the journalists to interviews with clients who know about Bluetooth injecting. Although sensationalised, the video gives background to the practice and calls for understanding.

Watch the video here: http://ewn.co.za/2017/02/01/watch-behind-the-bluetooth-high

EWN Report: http://ewn.co.za/2017/02/01/nyaope-needles-and-blood-the-bluetooth-high

Times Live article: http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/2017/02/01/Bluetooth-shock-Nyaope-drug-addicts-share-blood-to-get-high1