Source
Health for Injectors in the Northern Territory, Northern Territory AIDS Council, Darwin. goodhint@octa4.net.au
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
Little is known about injecting drug use (IDU) and blood-borne viral (BBV) infection in rural Australia.
METHOD:
These repeat cross-sectional studies were conducted during a two-week period in July and October-November 1998 at the Darwin needle exchange, with 129 and 121 respondents respectively.
RESULTS:
The commonest drug of choice was heroin, but the commonest drug injected was morphine. Self-reported sharing of needles and syringes was uncommon. Self-reported serostatus for HIV was high (8% and 11.4% respectively), but seemingly mostly associated with sexual rather than IDU risk; for hepatitis C (HCV) status, these were 54% and 37%. Among IDUs of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) background, who made up 14% of the first round respondents, patterns of IDU and of BBV infection were the same as among non-ATSI respondents.
CONCLUSIONS:
These surveys reveal patterns of IDU in Darwin that have both similarities and differences with those in the major urban centres in Australia. In the absence of a comprehensive methadone maintenance program, many participate in a more or less informal morphine substitution program. HIV is present among these IDUs, and the risks of further sexual transmission may be high.
IMPLICATIONS:
These surveys confirm the presence among injecting drug users in Darwin of HIV, HBV and HCV, and of the risk for further spread of these viruses. Control of blood-borne virus transmission among IDUs requires an even greater commitment to abolishing sharing of needles and syringes, and therefore continued support and enhancement of needle and syringe availability.