4th International AIDS Conference Stockholm, Sweden. — June 12-16, 1988

Int Conf AIDS. 1988 Jun 12-16;4:1.109 (abstract no. PL13)

Don C. Des Jarlais
New York State Division of Substance Abuse Services, New York, N Y, USA

We are now into the second decade of HIV infection among persons who inject illicit drugs. This presentation will summarize recent research on the epidemilogy of HIV infection among drug injectors and on efforts to control the spread of the virus within and from the group. The sharing of drug injection equipment with large numbers of other drug injectors has been established as an important factor in HIV spread in both the U.S. and Europe. Membership in an ethnic minority group has also been associated with HIV exposure in a number of American and in one European study, although the mechanism for higher seroprevalence rates among minority groups has not been determined. There is continuing evidence for substantial differences in the outcomes of HIV infection among drug injectors compared to outcomes among homosexual/bisexual men. Co-factor mechanisms for these different outcomes have not yet been determined. Many studies show widespread self-reported risk reduction among drug injectors, although the effectiveness of the behavior change on viral transmission has not been established. Several cities in show an apparent plateauing of HIV seroprevalence rates among drug injectors. The dynamics of transmission of HIV from drug injectors through sexual activity are not well understood, and behavior change with respect to sexual tranmission appears difficult. As more prevention programs become operational, evaluation and rapid dissemination of findings will become essential.

880612
PL13

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