title: The course of the HIV epidemic among intravenous drug users in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
abstract: To determine if behavioral changes in intravenous drug users in Amsterdam have retarded the HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) epidemic in this group in recent years, we report that: HIV-antibody seroprevalence in annual samples of injectors has been constant over the years 1986-89; HIV-antibody incidence in a cohort of injectors appears to have decreased from 1986 to 1987 and stabilized after that until 1989; acute hepatitis B incidence in all drug users in Amsterdam declined rapidly between 1985-89. It is concluded that changes in drug use behavior so far appear to have resulted in a stabilization of the epidemic among injectors, at a level with a still disturbingly high incidence rate of 5-6 per 100 person-years.
authors.affiliation: Municipal Health Service, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: van Haastrecht
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: van den Hoek
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bardoux
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leentvaar-Kuypers
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Coutinho
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D015528:HIV Seroprevalence; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications*; D014505:Urban Population