Correlates of HIV infection and being unaware of HIV status among soon-to-be-released Ukrainian prisoners |
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Authors: | Lyuba Azbel Jeffrey A Wickersham Yevgeny Grishaev Sergey Dvoryak Frederick L Altice |
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Institution: | 1.Ukrainian Institute on Public Health Policy, Kyiv, Ukraine;2.Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, AIDS Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA;3.Division of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA |
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Abstract: | IntroductionPrisoners bear a disproportionate burden of Ukraine''s volatile and transitional HIV epidemic, yet little is known in Eastern Europe about HIV testing, treatment and HIV-related risk among prisoners.MethodsA nationally representative biobehavioural health survey linked with serological testing was conducted among soon-to-be released prisoners in 13 Ukrainian prisons from June to November 2011.ResultsAmong 402 participants, 78 (19.4%) tested HIV seropositive of whom 38 (50.7%) were previously unaware of their HIV status. Independent correlates of HIV infection included drug injection (AOR=4.26; 95% CI: 2.23–8.15), female gender (AOR=2.00; 95% CI: 1.06–3.78), previous incarceration (AOR=1.99; 95% CI: 1.07–3.70) and being from Southern Ukraine (AOR=5.46; 95% CI: 2.21–13.46). Those aware of being HIV-positive reported significantly more pre-incarceration sex- and drug-related HIV risk behaviours than those who were unaware.ConclusionsRoutine rather than risk-based HIV testing and expansion of opioid substitution and antiretroviral therapy among prisoners is urgently needed to reduce HIV transmission in volatile transitional HIV epidemics. |
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Keywords: | prisoners substance use HIV/AIDS injection drug use risk behaviours Ukraine |
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