Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing among injecting drug users

2011 ◽  
Vol 152 (4) ◽  
pp. 124-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Anna Gyarmathy ◽  
József Rácz
Keyword(s):  
Drug Users ◽  
Injecting Drug Users ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Rapid Testing ◽  
Hiv Epidemic ◽  
Finger Prick ◽  
Needle And Syringe Programs ◽  
Rapid Tests ◽  
Hcv Testing ◽  
Testing And Counseling

In Hungary, there is a need for widely accessible HIV and HCV testing and counseling for injecting drug users. Theoretically, free and confidential rapid HIV and HCV testing would be the most suitable for this purpose. Low threshold agencies, such as needle and syringe programs, would provide ideal premises for such a testing system, Here, participants would be able to undergo regular testing every six months. Making rapid testing widely available raises the following three main issues: 1. validity of the testing results (or: the verification of positive rapid test results), 2. circumstances of taking blood (or: legislation regarding drawing blood), and 3. cost effectiveness (or: how important is it to prevent an HIV epidemic). The authors propose the establishment of a system that offers screening using rapid tests and which would be an expansion of a currently existing system of HIV and HCV testing based on finger prick blood. The current system would thus serve as a means to verify the results of the rapid tests. At the same time, there is a need to obtain permission from a public health body to enable in needle and syringe programs the provision of rapid testing and testing of blood using finger pricks. In many countries, test results are given to injecting drug users not by doctors but by trained social workers – such a system could also be established in Hungary. If preventing an HIV epidemic in Hungary is a priority, then wide access to rapid HIV testing is justified. Widely accessible free and confidential rapid HIV and HCV testing and counseling – combined with screening and verification using finger prick blood – may function not only as a testing and counseling service but also as a good quality public health monitoring system. Such a system, however, requires regular financial support from the government. Orv. Hetil., 2011, 152, 124–130.

scholarly journals What happened to the HIV epidemic among non-injecting drug users in New York City?

Addiction ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 112 (2) ◽  
pp. 290-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Don C. Des Jarlais ◽  
Kamyar Arasteh ◽  
Courtney McKnight ◽  
Jonathan Feelemyer ◽  
Aimee N. C. Campbell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
York City ◽  
Drug Users ◽  
Injecting Drug Users ◽  
Hiv Epidemic

Was the 1988 HIV epidemic among Bangkokʼs injecting drug users a common source outbreak?

AIDS ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 529-532 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas H. Wright ◽  
Suphak Vanichseni ◽  
Pasakorn Akarasewi ◽  
Chantapong Was ◽  
Kachit Choopanya
Keyword(s):  
Drug Users ◽  
Injecting Drug Users ◽  
Common Source ◽  
Hiv Epidemic

Impending concentrated HIV epidemic among injecting drug users in Central Bangladesh

2004 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 280-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tasnim Azim ◽  
M Shah Alam ◽  
Motiur Rahman ◽  
M S Sarker ◽  
Giasuddin Ahmed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Users ◽  
Injecting Drug Users ◽  
Hiv Epidemic

scholarly journals HIV among injecting drug users in Europe: increasing trends in the East

2008 ◽  
Vol 13 (50) ◽  
Author(s):  
L Wiessing ◽  
M J van de Laar ◽  
M C Donoghoe ◽  
B Guarita ◽  
D Klempová ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Users ◽  
Injecting Drug Users ◽  
World Health ◽  
European Region ◽  
Trade Association ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Opioid Substitution Treatment ◽  
Hiv Epidemic ◽  
Health Organization

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic among injecting drug users (IDUs) shows different developments in different parts of the European region. In the countries of the European Union (EU) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), the rates of reported newly diagnosed cases of HIV infection in IDUs are mostly at stable and low levels or in decline. In contrast, those rates increased in 2007 in many of the other (eastern) countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region, suggesting that the HIV epidemic among IDUs in Europe is still growing. In countries or regions where indicators of HIV incidence show upward trends, existing prevention measures may be insufficient and in need of strengthening. In the EU/EFTA region the larger availability of harm reduction measures such as opioid substitution treatment and needle and syringe programmes may have played a key role in containing the epidemic among IDUs.

Blood-borne Viruses and Risk Behaviours among Injecting Drug Users Recruited from Needle and Syringe Programs in Victoria's Eastern Metropolitan Region

2007 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 69
Author(s):  
Megan SC Lim ◽  
Kavitha Sundaram ◽  
Campbell K Aitken ◽  
Margaret E Hellard
Keyword(s):  
Drug Users ◽  
Univariate Analysis ◽  
Risk Behaviour ◽  
Injecting Drug Users ◽  
Metropolitan Region ◽  
Unsafe Sex ◽  
Risk Behaviours ◽  
Service Accessibility ◽  
Hcv Antibody ◽  
Needle And Syringe Programs

Little has been reported about the risk behaviour and service accessibility of injecting drug users (IDU) living beyond the inner suburbs of Melbourne. This study describes IDUs in the Department of Human Services' Eastern metropolitan region (EMR), including the prevalence of blood-borne viruses and risk behaviours. Fifty-two IDUs were recruited directly from EMR Needle and Syringe Programs (NSP) and through snowball recruitment. IDUs completed a questionnaire and provided a finger-prick blood specimen that was tested for the presence of HIV and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies. No participants were HIV antibody positive; 29 (56%) were HCV antibody positive. HCV seropositivity was associated with having a tattoo in univariate analysis. The prevalence of HCV in surveyed EMR IDUs was similar to that of Victorian IDUs surveyed in the National Needle and Syringe Program Survey; however, the EMR sample exhibited significantly greater levels of risk behaviour, including the sharing of needles and other injecting equipment, and unsafe sex. Similarly, EMR IDUs from outer and rural suburbs reported greater levels of risk behaviours and lower levels of HCV infection than those from the inner EMR. This study shows that with high levels of risk behaviour and relatively low access to NSP services, Victoria's EMR IDU population is vulnerable to future blood-borne virus outbreaks.

scholarly journals Evaluation of antenatal rapid human immunodeficiency virus testing in rural South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tivani P. Mashamba-Thompson ◽  
Pravi Moodley ◽  
Benn Sartorius ◽  
Paul K. Drain
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Hiv Testing ◽  
Rapid Test ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Rapid Testing ◽  
Hiv Test ◽  
Hiv Rapid Testing ◽  
Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Rapid Tests ◽  
Testing Algorithm

Introduction: South African guidelines recommend two rapid tests for diagnosing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) using the serial HIV testing algorithm, but the accuracy and compliance to this algorithm is unknown in rural clinics. We evaluated the accuracy of HIV rapid testing and the time to receiving test results among pregnant women in rural KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).Method: We observed the accuracy of rapid HIV testing algorithms for 208 consenting antenatal patients accessing voluntary HIV testing services in nine rural primary healthcare (PHC) clinics in KZN. A PHC-based HIV counsellor obtained finger-prick whole blood from each participant to perform rapid testing using the Advanced Quality™ One Step anti-HIV (1&2) and/or ABON™ HIV 1/2/O Tri-Line HIV test. A research nurse obtained venous blood for an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) HIV test, which is the gold standard diagnostic test. We recorded the time of receipt of HIV test results for each test.Results: Among 208 pregnant women with a mean age of 26 years, 72 women from nine rural PHC clinics were identified as HIV-positive by two rapid tests with an HIV-prevalence of 35% (95% Bayesian credibility intervals [BCI]: 28% – 41%). Of the 208 patients, 135 patients from six clinics were tested with the serial HIV testing algorithm. The estimated sensitivity and specificity for the 135 participants were 100% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 93% – 100%) and 99% (CI: 95% – 100%), respectively. The positive predictive value and negative predictive value were estimated at 98% (CI: 94% – 100%) and 95% (CI: 88% – 99%), respectively. All women received their HIV rapid test results within 20 min of testing. Test stock-out resulted in poor test availability at point-of-care, preventing performance of a second HIV test in three out of nine PHC clinics in rural KZN.Conclusion: Despite the poor compliance with national guidelines for HIV rapid testing services, HIV rapid test results provided to pregnant women in rural PHC clinics in KZN were generally accurate and timely. Test stock-out was shown to be one of the barriers to test availability in rural PHC clinics, resulting in poor compliance with guidelines. We recommend a compulsory confirmation HIV rapid test for all HIV-negative test results obtained from pregnant patients in rural and resource-limited settings.

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