HIV prevention among injecting drug users: three years of experience from a syringe exchange program in Sweden.
Exchange of syringes and needles has for the last 3 years been offered to injecting drug users as part of an HIV prevention project in a small university town in south Sweden. The program at the local hospital has been visited by 979 drug users, of which 182 have participated on a more regular basis. The typical participant is a 30-year-old male who has injected amphetamine or heroin for at least 10 years. The seroprevalence for HIV among drug users in south Sweden has been maintained at approximately 1% in contrast to up to 60% in subpopulations from other Scandinavian regions with a comparable drug problem. No project participant has become HIV infected during the study period and a reduction in risk behavior has been noted among local drug injectors. The HIV prevention project has attracted many individuals with no previous contact with drug rehabilitation programs; for a number of drug users, the syringe exchange has served as an introduction to such treatment efforts.
Ljungberg
B
B
Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
Christensson
B
B
Tunving
K
K
Andersson
B
B
Landvall
B
B
Lundberg
M
M
Zäll-Friberg
A C
AC
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D006920:Hygiene; D008297:Male; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden; D013594:Syringes
D015483:HIV Antibodies