5th International AIDS Conference


Montreal, Quebec, Canada — Jun 4-9, 1989

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Screening for HIV infection among IV drug users in the prisons of Brussels.

Int Conf AIDS 1989 Jun 4-9; 5:166 (abstract no. A.532)
Donot A, Verhoeven-Lespagnard L, Lumer G; CMC Prison de St Gilles, Brussels, Belgium

OBJECTIVE: To monitor the epidemic of HIV infection among IV drug users (IVDU) in the Brussels area through screening of the inmates of Brussels prisons and, at the same time, monitor the effect of information on the behavior of the IVDU population.

METHODS: Since May 1985, an information campaign on AIDS was launched in Belgian prisons. In 42 months, we have tested, having obtained their consent, 3126 newly identified inmates having used IV drugs at least once.

RESULTS: The seropositivity rates were, per semester, 7.1%, 7.1%, 7.7%, 3.2%, 5%, 3.4%, 3.1% respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate a decrease of the HIV prevalence among the delinquent IVDU of the Brussels area, an urban district of 1,500,000 inhabitants having free access to sterile injection material. We explain the observed decrease by behavioral changes due to the information and screening and we produce a simple mathematical epidemic model consistent with that explanation.

Keywords: AEGIS, Substance Abuse, Intravenous, Prisons, HIV Infections, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV Seroprevalence, Mass Screening, HIV, AIDS Serodiagnosis, HIV Antibodies, Substance-Related Disorders, Prevalence, Disease Outbreaks, diagnosis, ICA5KWDaegis,substanceabuse,intravenous,prisons,hivinfections,acquiredimmunodeficiencysyndrome,hivseroprevalence,massscreening,hiv,aidsserodiagnosis,hivantibodies,substance-relateddisorders,prevalence,diseaseoutbreaks,diagnosis,ica5

890604
A532

Copyright © 1989 - International AIDS Society (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the IAS.