Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Aug;14(4):932-41.
doi: 10.1007/s10461-008-9469-y.

High HIV prevalence, suboptimal HIV testing, and low knowledge of HIV-positive serostatus among injection drug users in St. Petersburg, Russia

Linda M Niccolai  1 , Olga V Toussova, Sergei V Verevochkin, Russell Barbour, Robert Heimer, Andrei P Kozlov
Affiliations

High HIV prevalence, suboptimal HIV testing, and low knowledge of HIV-positive serostatus among injection drug users in St. Petersburg, Russia

Linda M Niccolai et al. AIDS Behav. 2010 Aug.

Abstract

The purpose of this analysis was to estimate human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevalence and testing patterns among injection drug users (IDUs) in St. Petersburg, Russia. HIV prevalence among 387 IDUs in the sample was 50%. Correlates of HIV-positive serostatus included unemployment, recent unsafe injections, and history/current sexually transmitted infection. Seventy-six percent had been HIV tested, but only 22% of those who did not report HIV-positive serostatus had been tested in the past 12 months and received their test result. Correlates of this measure included recent doctor visit and having been in prison or jail among men. Among the 193 HIV-infected participants, 36% were aware of their HIV-positive serostatus. HIV prevalence is high and continuing to increase in this population. Adequate coverage of HIV testing has not been achieved, resulting in poor knowledge of positive serostatus. Efforts are needed to better understand motivating and deterring factors for HIV testing in this setting.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Classification of IDUs by HIV testing and HIV status(n = 387)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Abdala N, Carney JM, Durante AJ, Klimov N, Ostrovski D, Somlai AM, et al. Estimating the prevalence of syringe-borne and sexually transmitted diseases among injection drug users in St. Petersburg, Russia. International Journal of STD and AIDS. 2003;14:697–703. - PubMed
    1. AIDS Foundation East-West. Officially registered HIV cases in Russian Federation 1 January 1987–31 May 2007 as reported by the Russian Federal AIDS Center. [Accessed 29 September 2008];2007 Available at http://www. afew.org.
    1. Balabanova Y, Coker R, Atun RA, Drobniewski F. Stigma and HIV infection in Russia. AIDS Care. 2006;18:846–852. - PubMed
    1. Crepaz N, Lyles CM, Wolitski RJ, Passin WF, Rama SM, Herbst JH, et al. Do prevention interventions reduce HIV risk behaviors among people living with HIV? A metanalytic review of controlled trials. AIDS (London, England) 2006;20:143–157. - PubMed
    1. Crepaz N, Marks G. Towards an understanding of sexual risk behavior in people living with HIV: A review of social, psychological, and medical findings. AIDS (London, England) 2002;16:135–149. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms