Characterization of the Emerging HIV Type 1 and HCV Epidemics among Injecting Drug Users in Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Abstract

This study aimed to determine HIV, HCV, and syphilis prevalence and correlates, and to characterize the molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 among injecting drug users (IDUs) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. A cross-sectional study assessing risk factors for HIV and HCV through an interview administered survey was conducted.

Distinct HIV Type 1 Strains in Different Risk Groups and the Absence of New Infections by Drug-Resistant Strains in Lithuania

“…1 Molecular epidemiological studies demonstrated that of these two viruses, the IDU-A strains have spread throughout the whole FSU territory and account for around 90% of over a million of HIV-1-infected individuals in the region. 2 These strains are dominating in Azerbaijan, 3 Belarus, 4,5 Georgia, 6 Kazakhstan, 7,8 Latvia, 9,10 Moldova, 11 Russia, 2,12 Tajikistan, 13 Ukraine, 1,14,15 and Uzbekistan 16,17 and are the second (after CRF06_cpx strains) major cause of infections in Estonia. 18,19 In this explosive HIV-1 epidemic in the FSU, Lithuania remains among the least affected countries with 1,900 registered HIV-1 infections (as of January 1, 2012, 0.06% of the population, our own data), with the UNAIDS estimation of the prevalence of HIV-1 in the adult population being 0.1% (all UNAIDS estimations are from www.unaids.org/en/ dataanalysis/tools/aidsinfo/).…”

Illicit drugs in Central Asia: What we know, what we don’t know, and what we need to know

“…In Kazakhstan, the prevalence of HIV and HCV among a sample of FWID and non-injecting female partners of MWID was 22.5% and 61.0% respectively; among those infected with HIV, 73.4% also had HCV infection (El-Bassel, Gilbert, et al, 2014). Similarly, in Tajikistan, HIV prevalence was 12% among a sample of PWID, HCV prevalence was 61%, and HIV/HCV coinfection was 98% (Beyrer et al, 2009). Despite high prevalence of co-infection there is woefully inadequate surveillance data monitoring co-infection.…”

“…Co-occurring rising rates of HIV infection among people who inject drugs (PWID), their sex partners, men who have sex with men, female sex workers and migrant workers raise acute concerns over a "potentially devastating co-epidemic of TB/HIV and MDR-TB/HIV" (El-Bassel, Strathdee, et al, 2013;Schluger et al, 2013). Exceptionally high prevalence of HCV among PWID (Beyrer et al, 2009), very often co-occurring with HIV (Walsh & Maher, 2012) further underlines the menace of a syndemic health emergency in Central Asia. In Kazakhstan, the prevalence of HIV and HCV among a sample of FWID and non-injecting female partners of MWID was 22.5% and 61.0% respectively; among those infected with HIV, 73.4% also had HCV infection (El-Bassel, Gilbert, et al, 2014).…”

“…Although their number is growing, harm reduction services continue to reach only a minority of PWID (FWID in particular) and other vulnerable populations (El-Bassel, Gilbert, et al, 2014), and, as previously noted, OST has been introduced only recently and remains grossly underutilised in this region (Grund, Latypov, & Harris, 2013;Latypov, Bidordinova, & Khachatrian, 2012;Latypov et al, 2014;Parsons et al, 2014;Zabransky et al, 2014). Several authors suggested that integration of TB services, HIV care, and drug treatment is needed urgently for an efficient and coordinated response (Beyrer et al, 2009;Cox et al, 2004;El-Bassel, Gilbert, et al, 2013;Schluger et al, 2013) and efforts towards more integrated service provision are underway in Central Asia, supported by the WHO, ICRC, MSF, PSI and other international organisations (Cox et al, 2004;Grund et al, 2012).…”

Model development of HIV infection in the Republic of Tajikistan in the second decade of XXI century

“…Со-гласно исследованию, проведѐнному в 49 странах, уровень заболеваемости ВИЧ-инфекцией среди ПИН был в 22 раза вы-ше, чем среди основного населения, а в 11 странах -в 50 раз! [7,9,13,14].…”