title: Trend of HIV/AIDS Prevalence and Related Interventions Administered in Prisons of Iran -13 Years' Experience.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  HIV/AIDS epidemic is concentrated among injecting drug users in Iran. Like many other countries with HIV/AIDS concentrated epidemic, prisons are high risk areas for spreading HIV/AIDS. The aim of this paper was to study the trend of HIV/AIDS prevalence and related interventions administered in prisons of Iran during a 13 years period.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross sectional study was conducted using the data collected from the sentinel sites in all prisons in the country and it also used the data about Harm Reduction interventions which has been implemented by Iran Prisons Organization. To evaluate the correlation between the prevalence and each of administered interventions in prisons the Correlation Coefficient Test was used for the second half of the mentioned time period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in prisons had increased rapidly in the early stages of epidemic, so that in 2002 the prevalence raised to 3.83%. Followed by the expansion of Methadone Maintenance Therapy and development of Triangular Clinics, HIV/AIDS prevalence in prisons declined. There was a relationship between interventions and the prevalence of HIV/AIDS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In regions and countries where the epidemic is highly prevalent among injecting drug users and prisoners, Methadone Maintenance Therapy and development of Triangular Clinics can be utilized to control HIV/AIDS epidemic quickly.
authors.affiliation: 1. GFATM Project Coordinator against HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis Projects, United Nations Development Program, Prisons Organization , Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shahbazi
authors.affiliation: 2. Health and Treatment Office of Iranian Prisons Organization , Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Marzieh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Farnia
authors.affiliation: 3. Dept. of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences , Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Khaled
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rahmani
authors.affiliation: 4. Dept. of Epidemiology, Kurdistan Research Center for Social Determinants of Health (KRCSDH), Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences , Sanandaj, Iran.
authors.forename: Ghobad
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Moradi
keywords: HIV/AIDS; Harm reduction; Iran; Prison