HIV PREVALENCE AND HIV RISK BEHAVIOR AMONG INJECTING DRUG-USERS IN LONDON AND GLASGOW

This paper reports on the British findings from a cross-national study of HIV prevalence and HIV risk behaviour among 1,037 injecting drug u sers (IDUs) recruited from a variety of treatment- and community-based settings during 1990. Confirmed HIV saliva test results show 12.8% (6 3) of London respondents and 1.8% (8) of Glasgow respondents to be HIV antibody positive. Among London respondents, a higher rate of prevale nce was found in those with no experience of drug treatment. A greater proportion of Glasgow respondents (68%) than London respondents (47%) reported sharing used injecting equipment in the 6 months prior to in terview. The majority (88% in both cities) attempted cleaning borrowed equipment, although less than a third (31 % in London and 30% in Glas gow) usually used bleach. The majority of respondents (71 % in London and 82% in Glasgow) were sexually active with partners of the opposite sex in the last 6 months, and respondents had a mean number of 2.4 no n-commercial sexual partners in London and 2.1 in Glasgow. Levels of r eported condom use were comparable with reports in the heterosexual po pulation as a whole, with 70% of London respondents and 75% of Glasgow respondents never using condoms with primary partners, and 34% of Lon don and 52% of Glasgow respondents never using condoms with casual par tners. Half (48%) of London respondents and 42% of Glasgow respondents reported sexual intercourse with non-injecting private sexual partner s, while 14% of female respondents in London and 22% in Glasgow had en gaged in prostitution. Levels of risk-taking in each of the two cities indicate the potential for further transmission of HIV among drug inj ectors, and their sexual and sharing partners.