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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 or = 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.
Yin et al. (Thu,) studied this question.