scholarly journals Injection Drug use Practices and HIV infection among People Who Inject Drugs in Kigali, Rwanda.

Author(s):  
Jean Olivier Twahirwa Rwema ◽  
Vianney Nizeyimana ◽  
Neia Prata Menezes ◽  
Nneoma E. Okonkwo ◽  
Amelia A. Mazzei ◽  
...  

Background In Rwanda, epidemiological data characterizing people who inject drugs (PWID) and their burden of HIV are limited. We examined injecting drug use (IDU) history, practices, and HIV infection in a sample of PWID in Kigali. Methods From October 2019–February 2020, 322 PWID aged >18 were enrolled in a cross–sectional study using convenience sampling in Kigali. Participants underwent a structured interview and HIV testing. We used Poisson regression with robust variance estimation to assess IDU practices associated with HIV infection. Results The median age was 28 years(IQR:24–31) and 81%(248) were male. The median age at first injection was 23 years (IQR:20–27). HIV prevalence was 9.5%(95%CI:8.7–9.3). In the six months preceding the study, heroin was the primary drug of choice for 99%(303); but cocaine and methamphetamine were also reported by 10%(31) and 4%(12) respectively. Furthermore, 31%(94) and 33%(103) of participants, shared or reused needles in the previous six months, respectively. Up to 43%(133) knew someone who died from a drug–related overdose. PWID reporting sharing needles at least half the time in the previous six months had increased likelihood of HIV infection, compared to those who did not (aPR: 2.67; 95%CI:1.23–5.78). Conclusion HIV infection was common in this sample of PWID in Kigali. The high prevalence of needle reuse and sharing practices highlight significant risk for onward transmission and acquisition of HIV and hepatitis B and C. PWID–focused harm reduction services, including needle and syringe programs, safer injection education, naloxone distribution, and substance use disorder treatment programs, are needed in Rwanda.

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Olivier Twahirwa Rwema ◽  
Vianney Nizeyimana ◽  
Neia M. Prata ◽  
Nneoma E. Okonkwo ◽  
Amelia A. Mazzei ◽  
...  

Abstract Background In Rwanda, epidemiological data characterizing people who inject drugs (PWID) and their burden of HIV are limited. We examined injection drug use (IDU) history and practices, and HIV infection in a sample of PWID in Kigali. Methods From October 2019 to February 2020, 307 PWID aged ≥ 18 were enrolled in a cross-sectional study using convenience sampling in Kigali. Participants completed interviewer-administered questionnaires on IDU history and practices and HIV testing. We used Poisson regression with robust variance estimation to assess IDU practices associated with HIV infection and assessed factors associated with needle sharing in the six months preceding the study. Results The median age was 28 years (IQR 24–31); 81% (251) were males. Female PWID were more likely to report recent IDU initiation, selling sex for drugs, and to have been injected by a sex partner (p < 0.05). In the prior six months, heroin was the primary drug of choice for 99% (303) of participants, with cocaine and methamphetamine also reported by 10% (31/307) and 4% (12/307), respectively. In total, 91% (280/307) of participants reported ever sharing needles in their lifetime and 43% (133) knew someone who died from a drug-related overdose. HIV prevalence was 9.5% (95% CI 8.7–9.3). Sharing needles at least half of the time in the previous six months was positively associated with HIV infection (adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR) 2.67; 95% CI 1.23–5.78). Overall, 31% (94/307) shared needles and 33% (103/307) reused needles in the prior six months. Female PWID were more likely to share needles compared to males (aPR 1.68; 95% CI 1.09–2.59). Additionally, bisexual PWID (aPR 1.68; 95% CI 1.09–2.59), those who shared needles at the first injection (aPR 2.18; 95% CI 1.59–2.99), reused needles recently (aPR 2.27; 95% CI 1.51–3.43) and shared other drug paraphernalia (aPR 3.56; 95% CI 2.19–5.81) were more likely to report recent needle sharing. Conclusion HIV infection was common in this study. The high prevalence of needle reuse and sharing practices highlights significant risks for onward transmission and acquisition of HIV and viral hepatitis. These data highlight the urgent need for PWID-focused harm reduction services in Rwanda, including syringe services programs, safe injection education, naloxone distribution, and substance use disorder treatment programs and optimizing these services to the varied needs of people who use drugs in Rwanda.


2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 64
Author(s):  
Mariana Matias Santos ◽  
Rosana Santos Mota ◽  
Milca Ramaiane da Silva Carvalho ◽  
Gleide Santos de Araújo ◽  
Nadirlene Pereira Gomes ◽  
...  

Aim:  to  estimate  the  prevalence  of  drug  use  among  school adolescents  and its  association  with sociodemographic  and sexual variables.  Method:  a cross-sectional  study  conducted  through  a  structured  interview with  239  elementary school students from a public school in the state of Bahia, Brazil. Data were processed by the Stata program, version 12, and analyzed according to descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: the prevalence of adolescents who had used drugs in the last month was 25.92%. There was a statistical association between variable drug use and religious identification  (PR=1.88  and  95%CI=1.03  -  3.41),  study  series (PR=2.0  and  95%CI =1.03   -   3.85)   and   work   (PR=3.68   and  95%CI   =1.08-12.54).   Conclusion:  high prevalence  of  drug  use  among  school-age  adolescents  and  its  association  with  low schooling,  lack  of  religious  practice,  and  precocious  work  and  sexual  intercourse  were identified.


Author(s):  
Seyedeh Bentolhoda Mousavi ◽  
Peter Higgs ◽  
Negar Piri ◽  
Ensieh Sadri ◽  
Matina Pourghasem ◽  
...  

Objective: Although comorbidity of psychotic disorders and substance use can lead to increase in mortality, less is known about the outbreak and predictors. Psychotic patients tend to be overlooked during assessment; hence, the possibility of an undertreated or missed condition such as increasing substance use. This investigation aimed to measure the prevalence of substance use in psychotic patients and to survey the powerful predictors. Method: In a 1-year cross-sectional study, 311 psychotic patients were assessed using the Structured Interview Based on DSM-5 for diagnostic confirmation as well as questions surveying prevalence and possible predictors of substance use. Results: Prevalence of substance use among psychotic patients was 37.9%. Several variables were identified as factors associated with drug abuse among the psychotic patients. These included male gender, younger age, being currently homeless, a history of imprisonment, and having family history of drug use. The strongest predictors of substance use, however, were family history of drug use, male gender, and being currently homelessness. Conclusion: Policymakers should note the importance of substance use among psychotic patients. Developing active screening strategies and comprehensive preventive plans, especially in the high-risk population, is suggested.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun-Jie Xu ◽  
Han-Zhu Qian ◽  
Zhen-Xing Chu ◽  
Jing Zhang ◽  
Qing-Hai Hu ◽  
...  

Objective. To investigate the prevalence of recreational drug use and its relationship with HIV infection among Chinese MSM.Methods. A cross-sectional study of 625 MSM was conducted in Shenyang, China. Questionnaires were administered to collect information on recreational drug use and sexual behaviors. Blood specimens were collected to test for HIV and syphilis antibodies.Results. Nearly a quarter (23.2%, 145/625) of participants reported ever using recreational drugs, among which alkyl nitrites (poppers) was the most frequently used drug (19.2%), followed by methylmorphine phosphate (5.1%), methamphetamine (4.0%), and ketamine (0.8%). The overall prevalence of HIV and syphilis was 9.6% and 10.4%, respectively. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that recreational drug use was significantly correlated with age ≤25 year (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.6, 95% CI, 1.1–2.9), single marital status (aOR = 2.1, 95% CI, 1.2–3.6), and seeking male sexual partners mainly through Internet (aOR = 1.8, 95% CI, 1.8–2.8). Recreational drug use was independently associated with an increased risk of HIV infection (aOR = 3.5, 95% CI, 2.0–6.2).Conclusions. Our study suggests that recreational drug use is popular among Chinese MSM and is associated with significantly increased HIV infection risk. HIV prevention intervention programs should reduce both drug use and risky sexual behaviors in this population.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Changping Li ◽  
Zeyang Yu ◽  
Yang Chen ◽  
Honglu Zhang ◽  
Huijie Huang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background- Recreational drug use among young men who have sex with men (YMSM) was a public health issue of worldwide concern. Evidence had shown the relevance between recreational drug use and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. This study aimed to investigate the current prevalence state of recreational drug use among YMSM in Tianjin, discern the characteristics of YMSM who used recreational drugs or not and examine the interaction effect of recreational drug use and unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) on HIV infection.Methods- In 2018, a cross-sectional study was conducted in Tianjin, China. The snowball sampling method was used to recruit YMSM. Participants were recruited from gay bars, gay bathhouses, social network sites (WeChat, QQ, gay chat website), gay apps and peer referrals. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data.Results- A total of 1075 YMSM met the eligibility criteria and were included in the study eventually. The overall HIV prevalence was 4.3% (46/1075). Of all the recreational drugs involved in this study (rush poppers, methamphetamine, capsule No.0), rush poppers (406/517,78.5%) were the most popular among YMSM in Tianjin. Compared with non-drug users, drug users were more likely to have first sex earlier, be bisexual, be male sex worker (MSW), have a higher education level, seek sex partners through physical venues, engage in UAI, have sexually transmitted infection (STI), and receive HIV testing. Moreover, recreational drug use and UAI were associated with the increased risk of HIV infection [adjusted OR:3.6 (95%CI: 1.7-7.6) and 4.9 (95%CI: 2.2-10.4), respectively]. There was additive interaction of recreational drug use and UAI on HIV infection [relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI): 6.949 (95%CI: 0.011‐13.887); attributable proportion due to interaction (AP): 0.809 (95%CI: 0.578‐1.039)].Conclusions- Recreational drug use was common and correlated with HIV infection among YMSM in Tianjin. There was an urgent need to build novel targeted HIV prevention strategies to discern and reduce recreational drug use among YMSM in China.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 250-254
Author(s):  
Lakshmi Subburaj ◽  
K Rajkumar

The prevalence of menstrual problems is high during adolescence according to published literature. It is essential to determine the menstrual hygiene practices among the adolescent girls and their predictors so as to ascertain the modalities for prevention of menstrual problems. The present study was conducted to evaluate the menstrual problems, menstrual hygiene and their risk factors.This cross-sectional study was carried out among 244 school going adolescent girls in the field practice area of our institution. The participants were selected using two stage sampling. A structured interview schedule was used to obtain information regarding the demographic details, menstrual problems and menstrual hygiene. The data was entered and analyzed using SPSS software. Chi square test was used to analyze the statistical significance.The present study showed a high prevalence for dysmenorrhea (75.4%). About 72.1% of the participants consume over-the-counter medicines for menstrual problems. Majority of the participants (92.2%) use sanitary napkins as absorbent materials. Only 22.1% of the participants wash their genitalia with soap and water during menstruation. About 10.2% of the participants do not take bath during menstruation. Age was a significant risk factor for menstrual hygiene (p&#60;0.05).The present study has emphasized on the need for creating awareness during the early adolescent age in order to inculcate hygienic menstrual practices. It is essential to make sanitary napkins available and affordable in the lower income groups. Moreover, there is a growing need to incorporate adolescent specific health services in the public health system.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solomon Hambisa ◽  
Rediet Feleke ◽  
Ameha Zewudie ◽  
Mohammed Yimam

Background:: Rational drug use comprises aspects of prescribing, dispensing and patient use of medicines for different health problems. This study is aimed to assess drug prescribing practice based on the world health organization prescribing indicators in Mizan-Tepi University teaching hospital. Methods:: An institutional based retrospective cross sectional study was conducted to evaluate prescribing practices in Mizan-Tepi University teaching hospital. Data were collected based on World health organization drug use indicators using prescription papers. 600 prescriptions dispensed through the general outpatient pharmacy of the hospital were collected by systematic random sampling method from prescriptions written for a 1-year time in Mizan-Tepi University teaching hospital. Results:: The present study found that the average number of drugs per prescription was 2.04 ± 0.87 in Mizan-Tepi University teaching hospital with a range between 1 and 5. Prescribing by generic name was 97.6 % and 47.8% of prescriptions contained antibiotics in the hospital. 27.7% of prescriptions contained at least one injectable medication in Mizan-Tepi University teaching hospital. From prescribed drugs, 96.7% of them were prescribed from Ethiopian essential drug list. Conclusion:: Present study indicated that the average number of drugs prescribed per encounter, the percentage of generic prescribing and prescribing from the EDL were close to optimal value. However, the percentage of encounters with antibiotics and injections prescribed were found be very high. Thus, the study highlights some improvements in prescribing habits, particularly by focusing on the inappropriate consumption of antibiotics and injections.


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