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Prevalence of HIV and associated risk behaviour in attendees at a Dublin needle exchange

Z Johnson1, M O'Connor, L Pomeroy

  • 1Eastern Health Board, AIDS Resource Centre, Baggot Street Hospital, Dublin, Eire.

Addiction (Abingdon, England)
|May 1, 1994
PubMed

Insights

This study found that 14.8% of Dublin needle exchange attendees had HIV. Many reported unsafe injecting and sexual practices, highlighting the need for improved health promotion for drug users.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Infectious Disease Epidemiology
  • Addiction Research

Background:

  • Needle exchange programs are crucial for harm reduction among people who inject drugs.
  • Understanding HIV prevalence and associated risk behaviors is vital for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection.
  • To assess the extent of equipment sharing and unsafe sexual activity among attendees at a Dublin needle exchange.

Main Methods:

  • Anonymous, unlinked approach utilizing questionnaires and saliva samples for HIV testing.
  • Data collected from 106 attendees, with 81 providing usable saliva samples.

Main Results:

  • HIV prevalence was 14.8% among participants.
  • One-third of respondents reported sharing injecting equipment with multiple partners.
  • Only 25% of participants consistently used condoms with multiple sexual partners.

Conclusions:

  • HIV prevalence is comparable to other Irish drug user populations.
  • High rates of unsafe injecting and sexual behaviors underscore the urgent need for enhanced health promotion strategies.
  • Targeted interventions are necessary to reduce HIV transmission risks within this population.

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