Behavior of injection drug users increases the risk for an HIV epidemic.

Injecting drug use (IDU), common in global centers of heroin production, confers significant risk for HIV-1 infection. Once introduced into IDU networks, an explosive rise in HIV-1 infection typically occurs, fueled principally by needle sharing. New HIV-1 epidemics in IDUs have occurred in Russia, China, Thailand, Spain, Iran, and in other countries, and some have spread into other risk groups in their respective countries. In Afghanistan, the introduction of HIV-1 into IDU networks has begun, but a recent report of 3% HIV-1 prevalence suggests that the epidemic is still at an early stage. Here we establish, by complete genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of four viral strains from Afghan IDUs, that all are the same complex recombinant strain, combining HIV-1 subtypes A and D and herein termed CRF35_AD. Published partial HIV-1 sequences from an HIV-1 epidemic among IDUs in Iran, already at 23.2% HIV-1 prevalence, are either CRF35_AD or a related recombinant. Voluntary HIV-1 screening and harm reduction programs in Afghanistan, applied now, could limit the spread of HIV-1, both in IDUs and in other social networks.

: Although prevalence of syphilis and condom use varied significantly by site, high levels of risky sexual behavior were common, and consistent condom use was rare among IDUs in Afghanistan. Harm reduction programming should incorporate sexual risk reduction and condom promotion and distribution in Afghan cities.

BackgroundLittle is known about human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) awareness among Afghan injecting drug users (IDUs), many of whom initiated injecting as refugees. We explored whether differences in HIV awareness and knowledge exist between Afghan IDUs who were refugees compared to those never having left Afghanistan.MethodsA convenience sample of IDUs in Kabul, Afghanistan was recruited into a cross-sectional study through street outreach over a one year period beginning in 2005. Participants completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire and underwent voluntary counseling and testing for HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B surface antigen, and hepatitis C antibody. Differences in HIV awareness and specific HIV knowledge between IDU who lived outside the country in the last decade versus those who had not were assessed with logistic regression.ResultsOf 464 IDUs, 463 (99%) were male; median age and age at first injection were 29 and 25 years, respectively. Most (86.4%) had lived or worked outside the country in the past ten years. Awareness of HIV was reported by 46.1%; those having been outside the country in the last decade were significantly more likely to have heard of HIV (48.3% vs. 31.7%; OR = 2.00, 95% CI: 1.14 – 3.53). However, of those aware of HIV, only 38.3% could name three correct transmission routes; specific HIV knowledge was not significantly associated with residence outside the country.ConclusionAccurate HIV knowledge among Afghan IDUs is low, though former refugees had greater HIV awareness. Reported high-risk injecting behavior was not significantly different between IDU that were refugees and those that did not leave the country, indicating that all Afghan IDU should receive targeted prevention programming.