Prevalence of HIV infection in individuals with history of intravenous drug use via community announcement in Isfahan- Iran

Objective: injection drug using is a major risk factor for human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) infection in developing countries. ten percent of the hiv/aids cases worldwide are attributed to injection drug use. among injection drug users (idus), hiv and other blood-borne infections are spread primarily through risk behaviors related to sharing of contaminated syringes and drug injection equipments. the aim of present study was to determine hiv prevalence among cases with background of intravenous drug use via community announcement in isfahan, iran. methodology: the cross-sectional study was conducted in 1599 volunteers from 16 different cities of isfahan province, iran who had a history of intravenous drug use in 2009. participants were invited to reference laboratories and serum samples were separated. diagnosis of hiv infection was determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (elisa).western blotting was done to confirm hiv elisa positive specimen. the collected data was coded and entered in a data base file. descriptive statistical method was used for data analysis. results: out of 1599 volunteers with a history of intravenous drug use 24 of them (1. 5%) were hivantibody- seropositive. conclusion: prevalence of hiv infection among idus in isfahan province is relatively high. therefore it is essential to perform more effective prevention strategies and continuous education programs to control risk behaviors among idus. moreover, available prevention services such as needle and syringe programs are useful to reduce the frequency of hiv among the population of drug users.