14th International AIDS Conference Barcelona, Spain - July 7-12, 2002

Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. WeOrD1301)

Suraratdecha C, Ainsworth M, Tangcharoensathien V
Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, Bangkok, Thailand

BACKGROUND: Sex workers (SW) and intravenous drug users (IDU) are at extremely high risk of HIV infection in Thailand. Whether an AIDS vaccine that reduces the risk of infection would bring substantial private benefits to high-risk groups (HRG) and indirectly reduce the spread of HIV depends critically on their perspectives on the vaccine, private demand, and willingness to be vaccinated.

METHODS: We interviewed 600 direct and indirect SW in 6 of Thailand's 76 provinces and 200 IDU in 4 provinces. Respondents were asked whether they were willing to pay for either 50% or 95% effective vaccine that lasts 10 years, is safe, has no side effects and no benefits for those infected. The IDU were offered a vaccine price of $25. The SW were randomly assigned one of four prices ($12.50, $25, $125, $500).

RESULTS: At a price of $25, 79.7% of SW and 76.5% of IDU would be willing to pay for a 95% effective AIDS vaccine. Demand was not significantly affected by efficacy and was substantially higher than that found in a study of private demand in the general population, confirming that risk of HIV infection plays an important role in determining vaccine demand. 5.5% of IDU and 4.5% of SW would not agree to be vaccinated even if the vaccine were free, mainly because they felt that they were not at risk. Among those willing to be vaccinated, 4.8% of IDU and 4% of SW reported that they might be less likely to practice safe injecting behavior or condom use if vaccinated.

CONCLUSIONS: The success of public programs to prevent HIV transmission among HRG and the general population via AIDS vaccine will depend on the demand and willingness to be vaccinated. As HRG are socially stigmatized and potentially difficult or expensive to reach through public programs, the evidence suggests that they might independently seek an AIDS vaccine if it were made accessible, reducing the burden of the public sector in targeting populations based on risk.

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WeOrD1301

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