Estimating the prevalence of syringe-borne and sexually transmitted diseases among injection drug users in St Petersburg, Russia

Abdala, Nádia; Carney, John M.; Durante, Amanda J.; Klimov, Nikolai N.; Ostrovski, Dimitri; Somlai, Anton M.; Kozlov, Andrei P.; Heimer, Robert

doi:10.1258/095646203322387965

Cited by 61 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Hungarian IDUs' perception of risk and their injecting and sex risk behaviors are based on trust and on personal risk assessment: equipment sharing "never" occurs -except with few close and trusted friends (Rhodes et al 2004a), and condoms are rarely used in their monogamous sexual relationships. In Russia and the Ukraine, even though many IDUs perceive their infection risk as low, they often have high-risk injecting and sex behaviors and networks: they commonly share syringes, even with people whom they do not know well (Abdala et al 2003;Booth et al 2004;Amirkhanian et al 2003;Rhodes et al 2004b), and they have large numbers of sex partners and concurrent partners (Hamers and Downs, 2003). However, sharing spoons and filters was common and viewed as less risky among participants of this study (Huo et al 2005;Millson et al 2003).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Strong HIV and hepatitis disclosure norms and frequent risk behaviors among Hungarian drug injectors

Gyarmathy

Neaigus

Újhelyi

et al. 2006

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

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Ethnographic interviews and focus groups were conducted (05/2003-01/2004) among injecting drug users (IDUs; n=29) in Budapest, Hungary to assess HIV, Hepatitis B and C (HBV and HCV) related knowledge, norms, attitudes and behaviors. Participants perceived themselves at low risk for infection with HIV but high risk for hepatitis through injection but not sexual exposure. They reported strong disclosure norms for HIV and hepatitis infections, while sexual and injecting risk behaviors were influenced by trust about partners' self-report of infection status. Injecting networks were small, with infrequent syringe sharing among a few close friends. Cookers and drug filters were often shared, and filters were re-used as a backup drug supply. Most sexual relationships were monogamous, where condoms were rarely used. Although participant norms supported HIV/HBV/HCV testing, the lack of available testing facilities was a barrier to getting tested. Strong norms for infection disclosure and for getting tested coexist with engaging in risk behaviors with injecting and sex partners who are close friends. Network interventions among IDUs in Hungary should build on disclosure norms and trust to reduce injecting and sex risk. Testing services should be expanded and access increased so that IDUs can act on and reinforce their norms for testing.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Strong HIV and hepatitis disclosure norms and frequent risk behaviors among Hungarian drug injectors

Gyarmathy

Neaigus

Újhelyi

et al. 2006

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

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“…The 70-item questionnaire used in this study was an adaptation from a questionnaire originally developed at the Medical College of Wisconsin for use in St. Petersburg, Russia and previously used in a study that tested syringes to estimate the prevalence of syringe-borne viruses and STIs among IDUs in St. Petersburg, Russia [13][14][15] . The questionnaire was modified to include information about detection, history and knowledge of STIs and sexual partnerships.…”

Section: Risk Assessment Questionnairementioning

confidence: 99%

Sexually Transmitted Infections, Sexual Risk Behaviors and the Risk of Heterosexual Spread of HIV among and beyond IDUs in St. Petersburg, Russia

et al. 2008

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Aims: This study investigates whether sexual transmitted behaviors and infections (STIs) among injection drug users (IDUs) may promote the spread of HIV among and beyond IDUs in Russia. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of behavior and tested for STIs in a convenience sample of 159 IDUs in St. Petersburg, Russia. Results: The median age was 27 and 57% were male. Almost all were sexually active, half had casual partners and 40% reported ≧2 sex partners in the previous 3 months. Of those who answered, 81% reported sex without condoms, 44% reported having sex with at least one partner who was not an IDU. Of 139 (87%) subjects who were actively injecting, 29% reported receptive syringe sharing. Twenty percent of subjects were seropositive for HIV-1 and 42% of HIV-1-negative subjects tested positive for an STI. Conclusions: The sample exhibited high levels of sexual risk behaviors and STIs, and a large proportion had sexual partners who were not IDUs. This population requires comprehensive interventions that ensures access to condoms and sterile injection supplies and that encourage safer sexual behaviors in an attempt to keep sexual transmission of HIV low.

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“…1 Although the magnitude of the epidemic is well characterized in industrialized countries, little is known about the burden of disease in many developing countries, including in many of the republics of the former Soviet Union. Recent reports from Russia and other former Soviet republics have documented high but heterogeneous HCV prevalence rates among injection drug users (IDU) and other non-IDU groups, [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] suggesting the presence of an ongoing, but as yet poorly characterized, HCV epidemic.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of Hepatitis C, HIV, and Risk Behaviors for Blood-Borne Infections: A Population-Based Survey of the Adult Population of T'bilisi, Republic of Georgia

et al. 2006

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Injection drug use and associated hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV infections are on the rise in Russia and the republics of the former Soviet Union. While small targeted studies have found widespread drug use and disease among atrisk populations, there have been few attempts to comprehensively evaluate the extent of these epidemics in general post-Soviet societies. We conducted a two-stage cluster randomized survey of the entire adult population of T'bilisi, Republic of Georgia, and assessed the burden of HCV, HIV, and risk behaviors for blood-borne infections in 2,000 study participants. Of the 2,000 surveyed individuals, 162 (8.1%) had injected illicit drugs during their lifetimes. Of the individuals who had injected illicit drugs, 138 (85.2%) reported sharing needles with injection partners. HCV was found in 134 (6.7%) of the total surveyed population but in 114 (70.4%) of those who had injected illicit drugs. We found HIV in only three (0.2%) individuals, all of whom had injected illicit drugs. Injection drug use and high-risk injection practices are very common in Georgia and may be harbingers of a large burden of HCV-associated liver diseases and a potentially serious HIV epidemic in the years to come.

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Estimating the prevalence of syringe-borne and sexually transmitted diseases among injection drug users in St Petersburg, Russia

Cited by 61 publications

References 16 publications

Strong HIV and hepatitis disclosure norms and frequent risk behaviors among Hungarian drug injectors

Strong HIV and hepatitis disclosure norms and frequent risk behaviors among Hungarian drug injectors

Sexually Transmitted Infections, Sexual Risk Behaviors and the Risk of Heterosexual Spread of HIV among and beyond IDUs in St. Petersburg, Russia

Prevalence of Hepatitis C, HIV, and Risk Behaviors for Blood-Borne Infections: A Population-Based Survey of the Adult Population of T'bilisi, Republic of Georgia

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