Drug use and sexual behavior: the multiple HIV vulnerabilities of men and women who inject drugs in Kumasi, Ghana

Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes : JAIDS
Lisa J MessersmithYaw Adu-Sarkodie

Abstract

Recent evidence suggests that injecting drug use presents a new challenge to HIV prevention in West Africa. Very little is known about the HIV vulnerability of people who inject drugs (PWID) in Ghana, and no HIV prevention efforts are currently targeting PWID. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 30 (20 men and 10 women) PWID to participate in in-depth interviews in Kumasi, Ghana. Transcripts were coded and analyzed by theme. Half the men and more than half the women in this study reported sharing needles/syringes (N/S); most shared a common mixing container; and all said they shared N/S with intimate partners. Some PWID who said that they do not share N/S with other PWID, also said they routinely use N/S that they find on the ground at injecting sites or in the hospital dumpster. Nearly, all the women (9/10) and more than half the men (12/20) were currently sexually active; most had more than 1 partner in the last 6 months, but very few reported condom use. Three women said they exchanged sex for money and 3 men reported buying sex in the last year. Several PWID had no knowledge of HIV transmission through injecting. PWID in Kumasi are highly vulnerable to HIV because of N/S sharing and reuse, lack of condom use, low knowled...Continue Reading

References

Sep 27, 2008·Lancet·Bradley M MathersUNKNOWN 2007 Reference Group to the UN on HIV and Injecting Drug Use
Mar 2, 2010·Lancet·Bradley M MathersUNKNOWN 2009 Reference Group to the UN on HIV and Injecting Drug Use
Jun 16, 2011·Tropical Medicine & International Health : TM & IH·Gilles RaguinPierre-Marie Girard
Nov 21, 2012·The Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care : JANAC·Alice K AsherKimberly Page
May 9, 2014·AIDS·Pragna PatelJonathan Mermin

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Citations

Feb 28, 2015·Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes : JAIDS·Tisha WheelerGina Dallabetta
Dec 1, 2018·Current Addiction Reports·Ann E KurthBarrot H Lambdin
Jul 28, 2020·The International Journal on Drug Policy·Monireh Faghir GangiAli Mirzazadeh

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