M. Davoli et al., MIGRANT INJECTING USERS - CHARACTERISTICS OF ITALIAN DRUG-USERS LIVING IN AMSTERDAM, Substance use & misuse, 31(1), 1996, pp. 127-139
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.