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HIV-2 strikes injecting drug users (IDUs) in India

N B Singh1, S Panda, T N Naik

  • 1Microbiology Dept., Regional Medical College, Imphal, Manipur, India.

Manipur, a north-eastern state of India bordering Myanmar, observed introduction of HIV-1 among fairly large number of IDUs in October 1989, followed by rapid spread within the next 6 months. HIV-2 in injectors was not present until recently, though it was detected from other parts of India in 1991. This communication reports for the first time presence of HIV-2 among young injectors of Manipur. All the HIV-2 infected IDUs were also found to be infected with HIV-1. HIV-2 has affected a large number of people in Africa through heterosexual transmission. It remains to be seen whether HIV-2 spreads rapidly also among the drug-injecting population of Manipur. Observation of the disease progression among HIV-2 infected IDUs will also be of interest.

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