High risk of HIV infection during remand in Thailand

Injecting drug users in Bangkok, Thailand, are at high risk of HIV infection in police holding cells before incarceration because of sharing needles with multiple partners. Buavirat and colleagues (p 308) studied 347 male injecting drug users and investigated the associations between HIV infection and sexual and parenteral exposure before, during, and after their most recent incarceration. Other factors associated with HIV infection were injection of methamphetamine before incarceration, being tattooed while in prison, and sharing needles after release. Risk of infection may be higher because of the symptoms of severe opiate withdrawal experienced during the transitional period before incarceration.

(Credit: EMMANUEL DUNAND-STF/AFP)

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Relevant Article

Risk of prevalent HIV infection associated with incarceration among injecting drug users in Bangkok, Thailand: case-control study

Aumphornpun Buavirat, Kimberly Page-Shafer, G J P van Griensven, J S Mandel, J Evans, J Chuaratanaphong, S Chiamwongpat, R Sacks, and A Moss
BMJ 2003 326: 308. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]