Vietnam's HIV epidemic is concentrated among male people who
inject drugs (PWID), and their female sexual partners (SPs) may be at risk for
infection. HIV prevention interventions for SPs were implemented in Hanoi, Dien
Bien Province, and Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), and data from linked surveys used
to evaluate these interventions offered an unusual opportunity to assess
knowledge of HIV status within couples.
Linked surveys (behavioral interviews and HIV testing) among
200 PWID-SP couples in Hanoi, 300 in Dien Bien, and 249 in HCMC.
HIV prevalence among male PWID was
- 53% in Hanoi,
- 30% in Dien Bien, and
- 46% in HCMC,
- and lower among their SPs: 44%, 10%, and 37%, respectively.
Comparison of SPs' beliefs regarding male PWID partners' HIV status
with the PWIDs' actual test results revealed that 32% of SPs in Dien Bien and
44% in Hanoi and HCMC lacked correct knowledge of their male partners' status.
This proportion was slightly lower (21%-33%) among SPs whose PWID partners
reported having been previously tested and received HIV+ results.
SP interventions reached HIV-negative women in
serodiscordant relationships, and some improvements occurred in condom use and
relationship characteristics. Nevertheless, our findings suggest that at least
11,000 SPs in Vietnam may be at high risk for HIV infection because of
incorrect knowledge of their partners' HIV status. Interventions should be
strengthened in HIV testing, disclosure, and treatment, as well as empowerment
of SPs as individuals, within couples, and as communities.
Via: http://goo.gl/Y8E7zj Purchase
full article at: http://goo.gl/uK29wt
By:
1*US Health Division, Abt Associates, Cambridge, MA; †Abt Associates, Bethesda, MD; ‡International Health Division, Abt Associates, Hanoi, Vietnam; and §Center for Supporting Community Development Initiatives, Hanoi, Vietnam
More at: https://twitter.com/hiv_insight
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