MIGRANT INJECTING USERS - CHARACTERISTICS OF ITALIAN DRUG-USERS LIVING IN AMSTERDAM

The aim of the study was to compare the behavior of Italian injecting drug users (IDUs) in Amsterdam with Italian IDUs who moved abroad but returned with those who never moved. The Italian IDUs in Amsterdam sho wed a pattern of drug use very similar to the Dutch IDUs. They also re ported a high prevalence of needle borrowing, needle lending, and HIV- 1 infection. One out of three Italian IDUs in Amsterdam reported nondr ug using occasional sexual partners, but condom use was always reporte d. This study shows that Italian IDUs in Amsterdam are a marginalized population with a high risk of HIV transmission.