Sexually Transmitted Infections and Sexual Practices in Injection Drug Users and Their Regular Sex Partners in Chennai, India

Abstract

Measuring sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and sexual practices in injection drug users (IDUs) and their regular sex partners. Informing HIV intervention programs. Cross-sectional. One percent IDUs and 2% of their regular female sex partners were syphilis infected; 40% (84/211) and 38% respectively (81/211) were infected with HSV-2. 30% IDUs and 5% of their female regular sex partners were HIV positive. Serodiscordant results for syphilis and HSV-2 were noticed. Women having first sex at age<or=17 years and those who had HIV-positive IDUs as their male sexual partner had two times the odds of having any non-HIV-STI (OR 2.04; 95% CI 1.1-3.8; P=0.02 and OR 2.38; 95% CI 1.1-5.1; P=0.02 respectively) in a multivariate model. Women>or=38 years had seven times the odds of having any non-HIV-STI. Reaching out to IDUs and their female regular sex partners with modified STI management guideline and promoting women-controlled safer sex measures are needed harm-reduction measures.