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Tag Archives: hiv

The Importance Of Detecting Unhealthy Alcohol Use In The Clinical Care Of HIV-Infected Individuals

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have found that among HIV-infected adults with alcohol problems, measuring their carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) biomarker was a poor and inaccurate method for detecting unhealthy drinking. These findings currently appear on-line in AIDS Care

Performance and coverage of HIV interventions for injection drug users: Insights from triangulation of programme, field and surveillance data from…

Abstract: Introduction: Nearly 20% of the estimated 84,000 injecting drug users in Pakistan are HIV infected. Non-governmental organisations have implemented HIV interventions for IDUs in 7 cities in Pakistan.

Knowledge of AIDS and HIV transmission among drug users in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Background: Proper knowledge of HIV transmission is not enough for people to adopt protective behaviors, but deficits in this information may increase HIV/AIDS vulnerability. Objective: To assess drug users’ knowledge of HIV/AIDS and the possible association between knowledge and HIV testing.

Little Decline Found In Hepatitis C Infections Among Injection Drug Users

A recent 20-year study of injection drug users (IDUs) in Baltimore found a significant decline in new cases of HIV infection but only a slight decline in new cases of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The findings suggest that efforts to curb blood-borne transmission of these viral infections have had success but must be expanded against the highly transmissible HCV…

In Reducing The Spread Of AIDS, Expansion Of HIV Screening Found To Be Cost-Effective

An expanded U.S. program of HIV screening and treatment could prevent as many as 212,000 new infections over the next 20 years and prove to be very cost-effective, according to a new study by Stanford University School of Medicine researchers…

HIV, alcohol dependence, and the criminal justice system: a review and call for evidence-based treatment for released prisoners.

Conclusions and Scientific Significance: Untreated alcohol dependence, particularly for released HIV-infected prisoners, has negative consequences both for the individual and society and requires a concentrated effort and rethinking of our existing approaches for this vulnerable population. PMID: 21171933 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse)

Prevalence of HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C and associated risk behaviours amongst injecting drug users in three Afghan cities

Abstract: Background: HIV amongst injecting drug users (IDUs) has been described in Kabul but little data exists for other Afghan cities. We assessed HIV, hepatitis B virus (HBV), and C virus (HCV) prevalence and associated risk behaviours amongst IDUs in Hirat, Jalalabad, and Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan.Methods: Consented participants reporting injecting drugs within the previous 6 months completed interviewer-administered questionnaires and testing for HIV, hepatitis C antibody (HCV Ab), and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Logistic regression was used to determine characteristics associated with each infection.Results: Of 623 participants, most (98.7%) were male

To Reduce Spread Of HIV/AIDS, IFRC Calls For More Focus On IDU Programs

Ahead of World AIDS Day, the International Federation of the Red Cross on Friday released a report (.pdf) calling for governments around the world to do more to help stop the spread of HIV/AIDS among populations of injecting drug users (IDUs), the Associated Press reports (Heilprin, 11/25). “The United Nations estimates that approximately 15…

$1.5 Million From NIH To Miriam To ‘Seek, Test And Treat’ Inmates With HIV

The Miriam Hospital received three of the 12 newly awarded grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) aimed at improving HIV prevention and treatment of prison and jail inmates…

Seroprevalence of HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C among opioid drug users on methadone treatment in the Netherlands

Background: Injecting drug users (IDU) remain an important population at risk for blood-borne infections such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). In the Netherlands, a program is being implemented to offer annual voluntary screening for these infections to opioid drug users (ODUs) screened in methadone care. At two care sites where the program is now operating, our study aimed to estimate the seroprevalence among ODUs screened for HIV, HBV and HCV; to evaluate HBV vaccination coverage; and to assess the feasibility of monitoring seroprevalence trends by using routine annual screening data