HIV PREVALENCE AMONG INJECTION DRUG USERS IN SAINT PETERSBURG Part 2. KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HIV AND ABASEMENT OF HELP

Abstract

Study objective: Interviewing and testing of 500 IDUs in Saint-Petersburg using saliva express tests for HIV 1/2. Results. In the course of anonymous cross-sectional study for assessing HIV prevalence among IDUs, HIV diagnosis was established in 501 subjects aged above 18 years. The gender and social characterization of the patients was given in the first part of this report. The second part is concerned with estimating the familiarity of the respondents about HIV infection and the regularity of their addressing for medical attention. Currently, HIV prevalence among IDUs is as high as 65,7%. Interviewing suggests a high level of familiarity with HIV transmission risks and routes and enough objectivity in self-estimating concerning these issues. Almost all respondents but a few exceptions are well informed about the results of their tests. The rate of detection of new HIV cases in the course of this study was 4,7%. All newly found HIV cases among IDUs were tested for HIV antibodies less than one year earlier on average. An association is found between the rates of injection drug use and of HIV detection. Two groups of IDUs are the most vulnerable to HIV infection: one with an extremely high and the other with a low rate of drug injection