MOBILITY OF SCOTTISH INJECTING DRUG-USERS AND RISK OF HIV-INFECTION

Nine hundred and nineteen injecting drug users (IDUs) were interviewed in Glasgow, Scotland during 1990 and 1991, as part of a wider study o f HIV risk behaviour, about their injecting and sexual behaviour outsi de the city in the previous two years. Forty-five percent of responden ts injected outside Glasgow, 6% shared needles and syringes (n/s) and 20% had sexual intercourse. Much activity occurred outside Scotland bu t mainly within the UK, particularly London. Predictors of n/s sharing outside Glasgow during the previous two years included current inject ing with and passing on of used n/s and sexual intercourse with casual partners. Predictors of sexual behaviour outside Glasgow included pas sing on used n/s, having sexual intercourse with casual partners and, for females, engaging in prostitution. Glasgow IDUs are a highly mobil e group and although HIV prevalence remains low within this population , considerable potential for importation/exportation of HIV and other bloodborne and sexually transmitted infections exists. Further work is required to establish why IDUs travel to, and engage in high-risk act ivities in locations outside their home environment, and detailed data about activities such as frequency of condom usage and n/s cleaning p ractices need to obtained. While there is a widespread network of serv ices for IDUs in the UK, information provided usually relates to local services and may not fully address the needs of this mobile populatio n. Therefore, we recommend that IDUs be provided with details of facil ities such as n/s exchange schemes and drug-treatment establishments i n centres to where they most commonly travel.