title: HIV Prevalence Among People Who Inject Drugs in Greater Kuala Lumpur Recruited Using Respondent-Driven Sampling.
abstract: The HIV epidemic in Malaysia is concentrated among people who inject drugs (PWID). Accurate estimates of HIV prevalence are critical for developing appropriate treatment and prevention interventions for PWID in Malaysia. In 2010, 461 PWID were recruited using respondent-driven sampling in Greater Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Participants completed rapid HIV testing and behavioral assessments. Estimates of HIV prevalence were computed for each of the three recruitment sites and the overall sample. HIV prevalence was 15.8 % (95 % CI 12.5-19.2 %) overall but varied widely by location: 37.0 % (28.6-45.4 %) in Kampung Baru, 10.3 % (5.0-15.6 %) in Kajang, and 6.3 % (3.0-9.5 %) in Shah Alam. Recruitment extended to locations far from initial interview sites but was concentrated around discrete geographic regions. We document the high prevalence of HIV among PWID in Greater Kuala Lumpur. Sustained support for community surveillance and HIV prevention interventions is needed to stem the HIV epidemic among PWID in Malaysia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA. alexander.bazazi@yale.edu.|Centre of Excellence for Research in AIDS (CERiA), Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. alexander.bazazi@yale.edu.|Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, AIDS Program, Yale School of Medicine, 135 College St., Suite 323, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA. alexander.bazazi@yale.edu.
authors.forename: Alexander R
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4284-5082
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Bazazi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Forrest
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, AIDS Program, Yale School of Medicine, 135 College St., Suite 323, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA.
authors.forename: Alexei
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zelenev
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Heimer
authors.affiliation: Centre of Excellence for Research in AIDS (CERiA), Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.|Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, AIDS Program, Yale School of Medicine, 135 College St., Suite 323, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA.|Infectious Diseases Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Lembah Pantai, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Adeeba
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kamarulzaman
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.|Centre of Excellence for Research in AIDS (CERiA), Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.|Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, AIDS Program, Yale School of Medicine, 135 College St., Suite 323, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA.
authors.forename: Frederick L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Altice
mesh_terms: D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: HIV prevalence; Malaysia; People who inject drugs; Respondent-driven sampling; Surveillance