Research
Continued spread of HIV among injecting drug users in southern Sichuan Province, China
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* Corresponding authors: Han-Zhu Qian qianhz@uab.edu - Yuhua Ruan yh_ruan@sohu.com
1 State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, and National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 27 Nanwei Road, Xuanwu District, Beijing 100050, China
2 Sichuan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 6 Zhongxue Road, Wuhou District, Chengdu, Sichuan Province 610031, China
3 Department of Medicine/Division of Preventive Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Room 645, 1717 11th Avenue South Medical Towers Bld. Birmingham, Alabama 35205, USA
4 Xichang Center for STD and Leprosy Control, 5 Chang'an Road, Zhangjiatunxiang, Xichang County, Sichuan Province 615000, China
Harm Reduction Journal 2007, 4:6 doi:10.1186/1477-7517-4-6
Published: 8 February 2007Abstract
Objective
To estimate HIV prevalence among injecting drug users (IDUs) in a drug trafficking city in southwest Sichuan Province, China.
Methods
A total of 314 IDUs was invited to participate in the cross-sectional survey in 2004 through community outreach recruitment and peer referrals. Blood sample was taken for HIV antibody testing and a structured questionnaire was administered to collect information on socio-demographics, drug using and sexual behaviors.
Results
HIV prevalence among IDUs was 17.8% (56/314), about one half higher than that in previous survey in 2002 (11.3%, 43/379). Yi and other minority ethnicity (Odds ratio [OR], 3.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.7–5.8; P < 0.001), and total times of sharing injecting equipments 1–9 times versus none, OR, 2.7; 95% CI 1.2–6.2; P = 0.02; and ≥10 times versus none, OR, 7.5; 95% CI, 3.2–17.7; P < 0.001) were independent risk factors for HIV infection.
Conclusion
IDUs with high prevalence rates of HIV and equipment sharing behavior in the drug trafficking city may serve a source for further spread of HIV to other areas in China. The increasing trend of HIV epidemic among IDUs underscores the urgency of scaling up interventions.