Background: Although Injecting Drug Users (IDUs) carry a disproportionate burden of HIV, little is known about the dynamics of the HIV epidemics among IDUs. Objective: This study aimed to characterize the dynamics of the HIV epidemic among IDUs and the effects of alternative HIV prevention intervention strategies using Agent-Based Modeling (ABM). Methods: ABM was constructed using key behavioral risks. The HIV/STI Surveillance study was utilized to create datasets for simulation. Different intervention scenarios were simulated and compared. Results: Lowering needle sharing level among IDUs resulted in the largest reductions in both HIV prevalence and the cumulative number of HIV infections over time in all simulated populations. The majority of the reductions occurred when needle sharing declined from the baseline level to 40% and 30%, respectively. Conclusion: ABM may well complement traditional epidemiological regression-based analysis in providing important insights into the complex dynamics of the HIV epidemics among IDUs.
Risk factors of HIV infection and needle sharing among injecting drug users in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
