Prevalence of HIV, HBV & HCV and their co–infections among intravenous drug users at a harm reduction centre in Amritsar: A case control study.

Dr.Kamalpreet Kaur; Dr.Sita Malhotra; Dr.Pushpa Devi; Dr.P.D.Garg; Dr.Shailpreet Sidhu

Volume : IV, Issue : VIII, August - 2015

Prevalence of HIV, HBV & HCV and their co–infections among intravenous drug users at a harm reduction centre in Amritsar: A case control study.

Dr. Kamalpreet Kaur, Dr. Sita Malhotra, Dr. Pushpa Devi, Dr. P. D. Garg, Dr. Shailpreet Sidhu

Abstract :

Background–Intravenous drug users represent a special subgroup of populations who are at an exaggerated risk of acquiring blood borne viral infections especially HIV, HBV & HCV. Also due to shared risk factors they are more prone to get co–infected with them worsening the clinical conditions and increasing case fatalities. Material & Methods–The sera samples from 100 intravenous drug users attending Opioid substitution therapy centre and 100 healthy age matched controls were taken and tested for antibodies to HIV–1 & 2, HBsAg and anti–HCV antibodies using rapid assays. Results–Overall seroprevalence rate for HIV was 20%, HBV 11% and HCV 42% .The co–infection rates for HIV+HBV, HIV+HCV, HBV+HCV and HIV+HBV+HCV was 4%,12%,4% and 1% respectively. High risk drug abuse behaviours were reported in 41%, prolonged duration of drug injection >1 year in 68% and multiple injections per day in 70% of the Intravenous drug users. Risky sexual practices like encounter with commercial sex workers and multiple sexual partners were reported in 34% of injectors. Conclusion– A high population of intravenous drug users, common precursor risk factors and the ever growing menace of these three blood borne viral infections necessitates the need of understanding the dynamics of drug injecting population and also to estimate the burden of these infectious markers among them.