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HIV prevalence and risk behaviours among people who inject drugs in Iran: the 2010 National Surveillance Survey
  1. Razieh Khajehkazemi1,
  2. Mehdi Osooli1,2,
  3. Leily Sajadi1,
  4. Mohammad Karamouzian1,
  5. Abbas Sedaghat3,
  6. Noushin Fahimfar3,
  7. Afshin Safaie4,
  8. Ehsan Mostafavi1,5,
  9. Ali-Akbar Haghdoost1,6
  1. 1Regional Knowledge Hub, and WHO Collaborating Centre for HIV Surveillance, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
  2. 2Centre for Haemostasis and Thrombosis, Skane University Hospital, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
  3. 3HIV/AIDS Control Office, Center for Disease Control (CDC), Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran
  4. 4Alborz Medical University, Karaj, Iran
  5. 5Department of Epidemiology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
  6. 6Research Center for Modeling in Health, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
  1. Correspondence to Dr Ali-Akbar Haghdoost, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Research Center for Modeling in Health, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Avicenna Avenue, Jahad Blvd, Kerman 7619813159, Iran; ahaghdoost{at}kmu.ac.ir, Ali-Akbar.Haghdoost{at}lshtm.ac.uk

Abstract

Objectives To assess the prevalence of HIV and related risk behaviours among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Iran.

Methods We conducted a national cross-sectional bio-behavioural surveillance survey between March and July 2010, interviewing male PWID from a geographically dispersed sample through a facility-based sampling method.

Results We recruited 2480, and tested 2290 PWID. The overall prevalence of HIV was 15.2% (95% CI 9.7% to 23.1%). Among those who had injected drugs over the last month, 36.9% had used a non-sterile needle, and 12.6% had practiced shared injection. Over the past 12 months preceding the interview, 30.4% had sold sex for money, drugs, goods or a favour. In the multivariate analysis, the prevalence of HIV had a positive association with age, while having above high school education, and permanent job were protective.

Conclusions Unsafe injection, and sexual risk behaviours are still frequent and the prevalence of HIV among PWID remains high. Intensified efforts are needed to prevent the further spread of HIV among Iranian PWID and their sexual partners.

  • AIDS
  • HIV
  • Epidemiology (General)
  • Drug Misuse

This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 3.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

https://doi.org/10.1136/sextrans-2013-051204

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    • Arabic Abstract translation

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