TIDELINE AND TURN - POSSIBLE REASONS FOR THE CONTINUING LOW HIV PREVALENCE AMONG GLASGOW INJECTING DRUG-USERS

This is an early report of data from an on-going, repeated, cross-sect ional study of a community sample of Glasgow injecting drug users. Alt hough HIV was first detected among Glasgow's drug injectors in 1985, d ata from the first two years of our annual samples (1990 and 1991) ind icate that HIV prevalence continues to be low in this population, in t he order of 1 or 2 per cent. Possible reasons for this apparent contin uing low prevalence are examined. It is suggested that substantial ris k reduction - reductions in injection equipment-sharing, reductions in numbers of sharing partners and restrictions in social circles of sha ring partners - may have been sufficient reasons, in conjunction with limited contributions to near-stabilisation from the disproportionate attrition of the numerator population through death and cessation of i njecting.