Measuring the impact of needle exchange programs among injecting drug users through the National Behavioural Surveillance in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a low HIV prevalence country, with buprenorphine injectors ha ving the highest prevalence of HIV at 2.5% as of 1999. Using National HIV B ehavioral Surveillance data, the impact of a needle exchange program (NEP) on sharing behavior among injecting drug users in two cities was measured. Results showed positive changes that varied with the different settings. Th ose who reported utilizing the NEP were compared with those who did not. Di fferences in Dhaka were significant for the average proportion of needles s hared but not for the proportion of men who ever shared in the last week. I n Rajshahi, where professional injectors were the norm, the impact of an NE P was greater and affected both the proportion of needles shared as well as the proportion of men never sharing. Behavioral surveillance methods have the potential to measure intervention impact through comparative analysis i n certain settings.