Background
Songkhla
has one of the most serious provincial HIV epidemics among people who inject
drugs (PWID). However, there remains a lack of systematic data on drug use
patterns, HIV risk behaviors and access to interventions. To address the gap,
we conducted an integrated bio-behavioral survey in 2010.
Methods
Respondent-driven
sampling (RDS) was used to recruit PWID who reported injecting in the last six
months. Participants were interviewed and tested for HIV and sexually
transmitted infections (STIs). RDS Analysis Tool (RDSAT) was used to generate
adjusted proportion estimates.
Results
Of
202 participants, almost all were men, 90% injected heroin, followed by
methamphetamine (22%). One-third (37%) injected multiple drugs. HIV prevalence
was high (22%). Seven percent reported needle sharing at last injection and 27%
reported using a condom at last sex. Nearly half (42%) were currently on
methadone treatment. Few participants received new needles (10%) and condoms
(11%) from drop-in centers and/or peer outreach workers.
Conclusion
This
RDS survey informs the understanding of the HIV epidemic and the programmatic
response among PWID in Songkhla. It was effective at recruiting PWID who were
currently out-of-treatment. Given the increasing trend of poly-drug injecting
use documented, a comprehensive and integrated combination intervention approach
for HIV services is recommended.
Purchase full article at: http://goo.gl/e7Bi0c
By: Prin Visavakum, Niramon
Punsuwan, Chomnad Manopaiboon,
Sarika Pattanasin, Panupit
Thiengtham, Suvimon Tanpradech,
Wichuda Sukwicha, Mitchell
Wolfe, Dimitri Prybylski
Affiliations
Thailand MOPH – U.S. CDC Collaboration, Nonthaburi 11000,
Thailand
Correspondence
Corresponding author at: Global AIDS Program, Thailand MOPH
– U.S. CDC Collaboration, DDC7 Building, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi
11000, Thailand. Tel.: +66 2580 0669; fax: +66 2591 2909.
More at: https://twitter.com/hiv insight
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