Ever heard of ‘Bluetoothing’? What about ‘Hotspotting’? Well, contrary to other trends, it is rather a good thing if you are not familiar with this trend, because it's extremely dangerous.
A shocking new trend, ‘Bluetoothing’, also known as ‘Hotspotting’, is growing popular amongst youngsters. This dangerous trend has ignited one of the world's fastest-growing HIV epidemics, and health experts are deeply concerned.
What is Bluetoothing
Bluetoothing is a new practice of substance abuse, where users inject the blood of already intoxicated individuals. Also known as flashblooding or hotspotting, this drug trend has contributed to a sharp surge in HIV cases across global hotspots, including South Africa and Fiji. There has been a nearly 10-fold rise in HIV infections in Fiji in a decade, between 2014 and 2024.
According to the UN, 1,093 new cases of HIV, with 223 of those cases attributed to intravenous drug use, were reported by the Fiji Ministry of Health and Medical Services during the first nine months of 2024. The ministry said, it "recognized ‘bluetoothing,’ a practice where a user withdraws blood after a drug hit and injects it into a second person, as one of the drivers for the increase, together with chemsex."
Why are people Bluetoothing?
This trend was reportedly fueled by the soaring drug prices and supply shortages. It works by one injecting a dose of an intoxicating drug, and the next draws blood from their vein, which is now infused with the drug. This syringe is passed to the next person for injection. The chain can continue among groups, and it splits the costs.
Video
“In settings of severe poverty, it’s a cheap method of getting high with a lot of consequences. You’re basically getting two doses for the price of one,” Brian Zanoni, an Emory University professor who has studied drug injecting behaviours in South Africa, told The New York Times.
A shocking new trend, ‘Bluetoothing’, also known as ‘Hotspotting’, is growing popular amongst youngsters. This dangerous trend has ignited one of the world's fastest-growing HIV epidemics, and health experts are deeply concerned.
What is Bluetoothing
Bluetoothing is a new practice of substance abuse, where users inject the blood of already intoxicated individuals. Also known as flashblooding or hotspotting, this drug trend has contributed to a sharp surge in HIV cases across global hotspots, including South Africa and Fiji. There has been a nearly 10-fold rise in HIV infections in Fiji in a decade, between 2014 and 2024.
According to the UN, 1,093 new cases of HIV, with 223 of those cases attributed to intravenous drug use, were reported by the Fiji Ministry of Health and Medical Services during the first nine months of 2024. The ministry said, it "recognized ‘bluetoothing,’ a practice where a user withdraws blood after a drug hit and injects it into a second person, as one of the drivers for the increase, together with chemsex."
Why are people Bluetoothing?
This trend was reportedly fueled by the soaring drug prices and supply shortages. It works by one injecting a dose of an intoxicating drug, and the next draws blood from their vein, which is now infused with the drug. This syringe is passed to the next person for injection. The chain can continue among groups, and it splits the costs.
Video
“In settings of severe poverty, it’s a cheap method of getting high with a lot of consequences. You’re basically getting two doses for the price of one,” Brian Zanoni, an Emory University professor who has studied drug injecting behaviours in South Africa, told The New York Times.
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