HIV infection in females dependent on drugs
Wai, B.H.; Singh, S.; Varma, S.L.
Addiction 91(3): 435-438
1996
ISSN/ISBN: 0965-2140 PMID: 8867206 DOI: 10.1046/j.1360-0443.1996.91343513.xDocument Number: 303760
The vulnerability of injecting drug users to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was confirmed in a survey of 171 consecutive women 14-50 years of age (median age, 31 years) court-ordered to the Female Drug Rehabilitation Center in Malaysia's Kelantan State. The median duration of drug use in this sample was 7.4 years (range, 1-27 years). Involvement in commercial sex work was reported by 82 women (48%); condoms were not used in 60.1% of all sexual encounters. Overall, 24 (14%) of these rehabilitation center patients were HIV-positive; however, of the 75 women with a history of intravenous drug use, 21 (28%) were seropositive, and such a history was present in 20 (83%) of the 24 HIV-positive respondents. 36 (48%) of the intravenous drug users were sharing injecting equipment, reportedly because of an inadequate supply of needles and syringes, and only 16 (44%) of needle-sharers were using the correct method for cleaning. HIV infection was significantly associated with age 31-40 years, low educational status, a history of at least one prison term, syphilis infection, intravenous drug use, and sharing of injecting equipment; however, only the latter two factors retained significance in the analysis of variance. Women-oriented programs aimed at preventing drug injection, or at least decreasing needle sharing, are needed to curtail the spread of HIV infection in Malaysia.