‘Bluetoothing’: Deadly Blood-Sharing Drug Trend Driving Global HIV Surge
Health professionals worldwide are raising serious alarm over a bizarre, life-threatening drug practice spreading across several regions, a trend known as “bluetoothing.”
Despite the tech-sounding name, it has nothing to do with wireless devices. Instead, it involves a highly dangerous method of drug use that is putting countless lives at risk.
What Is ‘Bluetoothing’?
Bluetoothing is a blood-sharing practice in which one person injects a drug and another injects that person’s blood to experience a high.
This means users are not just sharing needles, they are sharing blood that may contain HIV, hepatitis, or other deadly pathogens.
Experts warn that this practice is even more dangerous than traditional needle sharing, describing it as one of the riskiest forms of drug use ever documented.
A Deadly Shortcut for a Cheap High
The motive behind ‘bluetoothing’ is simple but desperate: Users attempt to save money by accessing the drug through someone who has already injected it.
The method has emerged in communities where poverty, scarcity, and rising drug costs push users into extreme risk-taking. Although viewed by some as a “cheaper option,” health authorities say the practice is catastrophically unsafe.
Where It’s Happening — And Why It’s Growing
‘Bluetoothing’ has been identified primarily in South Africa, Fiji, and parts of East Africa, especially in severely disadvantaged communities.
- A 2023 study published in PLOS One found that two in five people who inject drugs in South Africa may engage in bluetoothing.
- The practice, also known as “flashblood,” was documented among heroin users in Tanzania as early as 2010.
In these regions, the combination of economic hardship, stigma, and limited harm-reduction services has allowed the practice to spread.
Fiji: A Public Health Crisis
In Fiji, health officials describe the situation as an “outbreak.”
UN AIDS data show:
- New HIV infections have increased tenfold since 2014
- About half of newly diagnosed individuals say they became infected through needle sharing
- Most new infections are among young people aged 15–34
Although it is not always clear exactly who is sharing blood, ‘bluetoothing’ is believed to be a major contributor to the rapid rise in infections.
“Young People Are Dying”
Eamonn Murphy, who leads UN AIDS regional support teams across Asia Pacific, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe, expressed deep concern: “We are witnessing young people who have engaged in drug use and sexual activity dying from HIV.”
He stressed that ‘bluetoothing’ is only one piece of a bigger crisis. Limited access to clean needles, high levels of stigma, and unsafe sexual practices all fuel the spread of infection.
A Threat to Global HIV Prevention Efforts
Researchers warn that ‘bluetoothing’, combined with low uptake of HIV testing, treatment, and prevention medication, could undermine years of progress in combating HIV worldwide.
They recommend:
- Routine screening and interviews with people who inject drugs
- Better harm-reduction services, including clean needle programs
- Eliminating stigma so users can seek help without fear
Without urgent intervention, experts fear this practice could accelerate a new wave of avoidable infections and deaths.
