Epidemiology of Drug Use and HIV-Related Risk Behaviors among People Who Inject Drugs in Mwanza, Tanzania

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 10; no. 12; p. e0145578
• Main Authors: Tan, Annabel Xulin, Kapiga, Saidi, Khoshnood, Kaveh, Bruce, R Douglas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 23.12.2015; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Adult; AIDS; Behavior; Cohabitation; Drug abuse; Drug abusers; Drug use; Drugs; Epidemiology; Female; Health aspects; Health risks; Heroin; Heroin - adverse effects; HIV; HIV infections; HIV Infections - etiology; HIV Infections - psychology; Housing; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Hypodermic needles; Male; Narcotics; Narcotics - adverse effects; Needle exchange programs; Needles; Risk; Risk factors; Risk reduction; Risk taking; Sex; Sexually transmitted diseases; Smoking; Socio-economic aspects; STD; Substance Abuse, Intravenous - complications; Substance Abuse, Intravenous - epidemiology; Substance-Related Disorders - complications; Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology; Syringes; Tanzania - epidemiology; Young Adult; Tanzania; United States > US; Eastern Europe; Connecticut
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0145578

Heroin trafficking and consumption has increased steadily over the past decade in Tanzania, but limited information regarding HIV and drug use exists for the city of Mwanza. Our study investigates the epidemiology of drug use, and HIV risk behaviors among drug users in the northwestern city of Mwanza. Using a combination of targeted sampling and participant referral, we recruited 480 participants in Mwanza between June and August 2014. The sample was 92% male. Seventy-nine (16.4%) participants reported injecting heroin, while 434 (90.4%) reported smoking heroin. Unstable housing and cohabitation status were the only socioeconomic characteristics significantly associated with heroin injection. More than half of heroin injectors left syringes in common locations, and half reported sharing needles and syringes. Other risk behaviors such as lack of condom use during sex, and the use of illicit drugs during sex was widely reported as well. Among the study sample, there was poor awareness of health risks posed by needle/syringe sharing and drug use. Our results show that heroin use and HIV risk related behaviors are pressing problems that should not be ignored in Mwanza. Harm reduction programs are urgently needed in this population.