HIV Prevalence Among Injection Drug Users in Rural Guangxi China

In the current study, researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine joined local and state health officials to determine HIV-1 seroprevalence, incidence, risk factors, and demographic characteristics among injecting drug users (IDUs) in rural Guangxi, China.

Between July and November 2002, researchers conducted community outreach, enrolling and screening 702 high-risk IDUs, anyone who had injected drugs at least three times within the previous month or had shared injection equipment at least three times within the previous three months. Western blot confirmation was performed for all participants. A demographic and risk assessment survey was administered to all participants whose serostatus was known.

Testing revealed HIV-1 infection in 25 percent of the IDUs, whose median age was 26.7 years (18.2-43.2). In a multiple logistic regression model accounting for univariate-identified risk factors, infection risk was significantly associated with age over 26 years (odds ratio [OR]=1.50; 95 percent confidence interval [CI] 1.04, 2.17), sharing of rinse water for injection equipment (OR=1.24; 95 percent CI 1.09, 1.40), and not having sex within the previous six months (OR=1.62; 95 percent CI 1.08, 2.43).

"HIV infection among IDU in Guangxi, one of China's major HIV epidemic regions, is high and the infection occurs predominantly among older IDU males who share rinse water," the authors concluded.

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