Key lessons for the crucial components of social mobilization and community engagement in this context: Invest in trusted local community members to facilitate community entrance and engagement.Use key communication networks and channels with wide reach and relevance to the community, such as radio in low-resource settings or faith-based organizations.Invest in strategic partnerships to tap relevant capacities and resources.Support a network of communication professionals who can deploy rapidly for lengthy periods.Balance centralized mechanisms to promote consistency and quality with decentralized programming for flexibility and adaptation to local needs.Evolve communication approaches and messaging over time with the changing outbreak patterns, e.g., from halting disease transmission to integration and support of survivors.Establish clear communication indicators and analyze and share data in real time.

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