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Rivera Saldana CD, Abramovitz D, Beletsky L, Borquez A, Kiene S, Marquez LK, Patton T, Strathdee S, Zúñiga ML, Martin NK, Cepeda J. Estimating the impact of a police education program on hepatitis C virus transmission and disease burden among people who inject drugs in Tijuana, Mexico: A dynamic modeling analysis. Addiction 2023; 118:1763-1774. [PMID: 37039246 PMCID: PMC10524658 DOI: 10.1111/add.16203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 04/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Criminalization of drug use and punitive policing are key structural drivers of hepatitis C virus (HCV) risk among people who inject drugs (PWID). A police education program (Proyecto Escudo) delivering training on occupational safety together with drug law content was implemented between 2015 and 2016 in Tijuana, Mexico, to underpin drug law reform implementation. We used data from a longitudinal cohort of PWID in Tijuana to inform epidemic modeling and assess the long-term impact of Escudo on HCV transmission and burden among PWID in Tijuana. METHODS We developed a dynamic, compartmental model of HCV transmission and incarceration among PWID and tracked liver disease progression among current and former PWID. The model was calibrated to data from Tijuana, Mexico, with 90% HCV seroprevalence. We used segmented regression analysis to estimate impact of Escudo on recent incarceration among an observational cohort of PWID. By simulating the observed incarceration trends, we estimated the potential impact of the implemented (2-year reduction in incarceration) and an extended (10-year reduction in incarceration) police education program over a 50-year follow-up (2016-2066) on HCV outcomes (incidence, cirrhosis, HCV-related deaths and disability adjusted life-years averted) compared with no intervention. RESULTS Over the 2-year follow-up, Proyecto Escudo reduced HCV incidence among PWID from 21.5 per 100 person years (/100py) (95% uncertainty interval [UI] = 15.3-29.7/100py) in 2016 to 21.1/100py (UI = 15.0-29.1/100py) in 2018. If continued for 10 years, Escudo could reduce HCV incidence to 20.0/100py (14.0-27.8/100py) by 2026 and avert 186 (32-389) new infections, 76 (UI = 12-160) cases of cirrhosis and 32 (5-73) deaths per 10 000 PWID compared with no intervention over a 50-year time horizon. CONCLUSIONS In Tijuana, Mexico, implementation of a police education program delivering training on occupational safety and drug law content appears to have reduced hepatitis C virus incidence among people who inject drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos D Rivera Saldana
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Daniela Abramovitz
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Leo Beletsky
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- School of Law and Bouve College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Annick Borquez
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Susan Kiene
- School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Lara K Marquez
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Thomas Patton
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Steffanie Strathdee
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - María Luisa Zúñiga
- School of Social Work, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Natasha K Martin
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Javier Cepeda
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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Rammohan I, Jain S, Sun S, Marks C, Milloy MJ, Hayashi K, DeBeck K, González-Zúñiga P, Strathdee S, Werb D. Latent polydrug use patterns and the provision of injection initiation assistance among people who inject drugs in three North American settings. Drug Alcohol Rev 2023; 42:1504-1516. [PMID: 37321850 PMCID: PMC10524861 DOI: 10.1111/dar.13687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION We sought to identify latent profiles of polysubstance use patterns among people who inject drugs in three distinct North American settings, and then determine whether profile membership was associated with providing injection initiation assistance to injection-naïve persons. METHODS Cross-sectional data from three linked cohorts in Vancouver, Canada; Tijuana, Mexico; and San Diego, USA were used to conduct separate latent profile analyses based on recent (i.e., past 6 months) injection and non-injection drug use frequency. We then assessed the association between polysubstance use patterns and recent injection initiation assistance provision using logistic regression analyses. RESULTS A 6-class model for Vancouver participants, a 4-class model for Tijuana participants and a 4-class model for San Diego participants were selected based on statistical indices of fit and interpretability. In all settings, at least one profile included high-frequency polysubstance use of crystal methamphetamine and heroin. In Vancouver, several profiles were associated with a greater likelihood of providing recent injection initiation assistance compared to the referent profile (low-frequency use of all drugs) in unadjusted and adjusted analyses, however, the inclusion of latent profile membership in the multivariable model did not significantly improve model fit. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS We identified commonalities and differences in polysubstance use patterns among people who inject drugs in three settings disproportionately impacted by injection drug use. Our results also suggest that other factors may be of greater priority when tailoring interventions to reduce the incidence of injection initiation. These findings can aid in efforts to identify and support specific higher-risk subpopulations of people who inject drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Indhu Rammohan
- Centre on Drug Policy and Evaluation, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Canada
- Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Sonia Jain
- Biostatistics Research Center, Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, United States
| | - Shelly Sun
- Biostatistics Research Center, Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, United States
| | - Charles Marks
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, United States
- School of Community Health Sciences, University of Reno, Reno, United States
| | - M-J Milloy
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Kanna Hayashi
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Kora DeBeck
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Patricia González-Zúñiga
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, United States
| | - Steffanie Strathdee
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, United States
| | - Dan Werb
- Centre on Drug Policy and Evaluation, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Canada
- Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, United States
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Friedman J, Godvin M, Molina C, Romero R, Borquez A, Avra T, Goodman-Meza D, Strathdee S, Bourgois P, Shover CL. Fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine-based counterfeit pills sold at tourist-oriented pharmacies in Mexico: An ethnographic and drug checking study. Drug Alcohol Depend 2023; 249:110819. [PMID: 37348270 PMCID: PMC10368172 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.110819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fentanyl- and methamphetamine-based counterfeit prescription drugs have driven escalating overdose death rates in the US, however their presence in Mexico has not been assessed. Our ethnographic team has conducted longitudinal research focused on illicit drug markets in Northern Mexico since 2018. In 2021-2022, study participants described the arrival of new, unusually potent tablets sold as ostensibly controlled substances, without a prescription, directly from pharmacies that cater to US tourists. AIMS To characterize the availability of counterfeit and authentic controlled substances at pharmacies in Northern Mexico available to English-speaking tourists without a prescription. METHODS We employed an iterative, exploratory, mixed methods design. Longitudinal ethnographic data was used to characterize tourist-oriented micro-neighborhoods and guide the selection of n=40 pharmacies in n=4 cities in Northern Mexico. In each pharmacy, samples of "oxycodone", "Xanax", and "Adderall" were sought as single pills, during English-language encounters, after which detailed ethnographic accounts were recorded. We employed immunoassay-based testing strips to check each pill for the presence of fentanyls, benzodiazepines, amphetamines, and methamphetamines. We used Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy to further characterize drug contents. RESULTS Of n=40 pharmacies, one or more of the requested controlled substances could be obtained with no prescription (as single pills or in bottles) at 28 (70.0%) and as single pills at 19 (47.5%). Counterfeit pills were obtained at 11 pharmacies (27.5%). Of n=45 samples sold as one-off controlled substances, 18 were counterfeit. 7 of 11 (63.6%) samples sold as "Adderall" contained methamphetamine, 8 of 27 (29.6%) samples sold as "Oxycodone" contained fentanyl, and 3 "Oxycodone" samples contained heroin. Pharmacies providing counterfeit drugs were uniformly located in tourist-serving micro-neighborhoods, and generally featured English-language advertisements for erectile dysfunction medications and "painkillers". Pharmacy employees occasionally expressed concern about overdose risk and provided harm reduction guidance. DISCUSSION The availability of fentanyl-, heroin-, and methamphetamine-based counterfeit medications in tourist-oriented independent pharmacies in Northern Mexico represents a public health risk, and occurs in the context of 1) the normalization of medical tourism as a response to rising unaffordability of healthcare in the US, 2) plummeting rates of opioid prescription in the US, affecting both chronic pain patients and the availability of legitimate pharmaceuticals on the unregulated market, 3) the rise of fentanyl-based counterfeit opioids as a key driver of the fourth, and deadliest-to-date, wave of the opioid crisis. It was not possible to distinguish counterfeit medications based on appearance of pills or geography of pharmacies, because identically-appearing authentic and counterfeit versions were often sold in close geographic proximity. Nevertheless, people who consume drugs may be more trusting of controlled substances purchased directly from pharmacies. Due to Mexico's limited opioid overdose surveillance infrastructure, the current death rate from these substances remains unknown.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Friedman
- Center for Social Medicine and Humanities, University of California, Los Angeles, United States.
| | - Morgan Godvin
- The Action Lab, Center for Health Policy and Law, Northeastern University, United States
| | - Caitlin Molina
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, University of California, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Ruby Romero
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, University of California, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Annick Borquez
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, United States
| | - Tucker Avra
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, United States
| | - David Goodman-Meza
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Steffanie Strathdee
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, United States
| | - Philippe Bourgois
- Center for Social Medicine and Humanities, University of California, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Chelsea L Shover
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, University of California, Los Angeles, United States
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Schneider J, Coutinho R, Hatcher AM, Larmarange J, Letendre S, Paraskevis D, Strathdee S, Vance DE, Martínez E. Stimulating dissemination of research that addresses the social and contextual drivers of HIV prevention and treatment in the journal AIDS. AIDS 2023; 37:1021. [PMID: 37139648 PMCID: PMC10840992 DOI: 10.1097/qad.0000000000003582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- John Schneider
- Department of Medicine and Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Roel Coutinho
- Universitair Medisch Centrum Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Abigail M. Hatcher
- The Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | | | - Scott Letendre
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Dimitrios Paraskevis
- Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Steffanie Strathdee
- Department of Medicine and Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - David E. Vance
- School of Nursing, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Esteban Martínez
- Department of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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5
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Friedman J, Godvin M, Molina C, Romero R, Borquez A, Avra T, Goodman-Meza D, Strathdee S, Bourgois P, Shover CL. Fentanyl, Heroin, and Methamphetamine-Based Counterfeit Pills Sold at Tourist-Oriented Pharmacies in Mexico: An Ethnographic and Drug Checking Study. medRxiv 2023:2023.01.27.23285123. [PMID: 36747647 PMCID: PMC9901047 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.27.23285123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Background Our ethnographic team has conducted longitudinal research focused on illicit drug markets in Northern Mexico since 2018. In 2021-2022, study participants described the arrival of new, unusually potent tablets sold as ostensibly controlled substances, without a prescription, directly from pharmacies that cater to US tourists. Concurrently, fentanyl- and methamphetamine-based counterfeit prescription drugs have driven escalating overdose death rates in the US, however their presence in Mexico has not been assessed. Aims To characterize the availability of counterfeit and authentic controlled substances at pharmacies in Northern Mexico available to English-speaking tourists without a prescription. Methods We employed an iterative, exploratory, mixed methods design. Longitudinal ethnographic data was used to characterize tourist-oriented micro-neighborhoods and guide the selection of n=40 pharmacies in n=4 cities in Northern Mexico. In each pharmacy, samples of "oxycodone", "Xanax", and "Adderall" were sought as single pills, during English-language encounters, after which detailed ethnographic accounts were recorded. We employed immunoassay-based testing strips to check each pill for the presence of fentanyls, benzodiazepines, amphetamines, and methamphetamines. We used Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy to further characterize drug contents. Results Of 40 pharmacies, these controlled substances could be obtained in any form with no prescription at 68.3% and as single pills at 46.3%. Counterfeit pills were obtained at n=11 (26.8%) of pharmacies. Of n=45 samples sold as one-off controlled substances, n=20 were counterfeit including 9 of 11 (81.8%) of samples sold as "Adderall" that contained methamphetamine, and 8 of 27 (29.6%) of samples sold as "Oxycodone" that contained fentanyl, and n=3 'Oxycodone' samples containing heroin. Pharmacies providing counterfeit drugs were uniformly located in tourist-serving micro-neighborhoods, and generally featured English-language advertisements for erectile dysfunction medications and 'painkillers'. Pharmacy employees occasionally expressed concern about overdose risk and provided harm reduction guidance. Discussion The availability of fentanyl-, heroin-, and methamphetamine-based counterfeit medications in Northern Mexico represents a public health risk, and occurs in the context of 1) the normalization of medical tourism as a response to rising unaffordability of healthcare in the US, 2) plummeting rates of opioid prescription in the US, affecting both chronic pain patients and the availability of legitimate pharmaceuticals on the unregulated market, 3) the rise of fentanyl-based counterfeit opioids as a key driver of the fourth, and deadliest-to-date, wave of the opioid crisis. It is not possible to distinguish counterfeit medications based on appearance, because identically-appearing authentic and counterfeit versions are often sold in close geographic proximity. Nevertheless, US tourist drug consumers may be more trusting of controlled substances purchased directly from pharmacies. Due to Mexico's limited opioid overdose surveillance infrastructure, the current death rate from these substances remains unknown.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Friedman
- Center for Social Medicine and Humanities, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Morgan Godvin
- The Action Lab, Center for Health Policy and Law, Northeastern University
| | - Caitlin Molina
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Ruby Romero
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Annick Borquez
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health. Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego
| | - Tucker Avra
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles
| | | | - Steffanie Strathdee
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health. Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego
| | - Philippe Bourgois
- Center for Social Medicine and Humanities, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Chelsea L. Shover
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, University of California, Los Angeles
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Patton T, Abramovitz D, Johnson D, Leas E, Nobles A, Caputi T, Ayers J, Strathdee S, Bórquez A. Characterizing Help-Seeking Searches for Substance Use Treatment From Google Trends and Assessing Their Use for Infoveillance: Longitudinal Descriptive and Validation Statistical Analysis. J Med Internet Res 2022; 24:e41527. [PMID: 36454620 DOI: 10.2196/41527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is no recognized gold standard method for estimating the number of individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) seeking help within a given geographical area. This presents a challenge to policy makers in the effective deployment of resources for the treatment of SUDs. Internet search queries related to help seeking for SUDs using Google Trends may represent a low-cost, real-time, and data-driven infoveillance tool to address this shortfall in information. OBJECTIVE This paper assesses the feasibility of using search query data related to help seeking for SUDs as an indicator of unmet treatment needs, demand for treatment, and predictor of the health harms related to unmet treatment needs. We explore a continuum of hypotheses to account for different outcomes that might be expected to occur depending on the demand for treatment relative to the system capacity and the timing of help seeking in relation to trajectories of substance use and behavior change. METHODS We used negative binomial regression models to examine temporal trends in the annual SUD help-seeking internet search queries from Google Trends by US state for cocaine, methamphetamine, opioids, cannabis, and alcohol from 2010 to 2020. To validate the value of these data for surveillance purposes, we then used negative binomial regression models to investigate the relationship between SUD help-seeking searches and state-level outcomes across the continuum of care (including lack of care). We started by looking at associations with self-reported treatment need using data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a national survey of the US general population. Next, we explored associations with treatment admission rates from the Treatment Episode Data Set, a national data system on SUD treatment facilities. Finally, we studied associations with state-level rates of people experiencing and dying from an opioid overdose, using data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the CDC WONDER database. RESULTS Statistically significant differences in help-seeking searches were observed over time between 2010 and 2020 (based on P<.05 for the corresponding Wald tests). We were able to identify outlier states for each drug over time (eg, West Virginia for both opioids and methamphetamine), indicating significantly higher help-seeking behaviors compared to national trends. Results from our validation analyses across different outcomes showed positive, statistically significant associations for the models relating to treatment need for alcohol use, treatment admissions for opioid and methamphetamine use, emergency department visits related to opioid use, and opioid overdose mortality data (based on regression coefficients having P≤.05). CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates the clear potential for using internet search queries from Google Trends as an infoveillance tool to predict the demand for substance use treatment spatially and temporally, especially for opioid use disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Patton
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Daniela Abramovitz
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | | | - Eric Leas
- Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health & Human Longevity Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Alicia Nobles
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Theodore Caputi
- Department of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - John Ayers
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Steffanie Strathdee
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Annick Bórquez
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
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Bojorquez I, Sepúlveda J, Lee D, Strathdee S. Interrupted transit and common mental disorders among migrants in Tijuana, Mexico. Int J Soc Psychiatry 2022; 68:1018-1025. [PMID: 35652311 PMCID: PMC10712937 DOI: 10.1177/00207640221099419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Policies of migration contention can interrupt the transit of people on the move, forcing them to remain in wait in non-destination countries. This liminal condition might impact negatively on migrants' mental health. AIMS To assess the relationship between interrupted transit and common mental disorders (CMD; symptoms of depression or anxiety), among migrants in shelters in Tijuana, Mexico. METHODS Cross-sectional survey conducted in November to December 2020 and February to April 2021. We assessed depressive symptoms with the Centers for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale (CES-D-7), and symptoms of anxiety with the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-2). We evaluated the association of being in interrupted transit (sent back from the United States to Mexico), as compared to having not crossed to the United States yet or planning to stay in Mexico, with having a CMD (either depressive or anxiety symptoms), as well as the association of other migration-related variables with CMD. RESULTS Being in interrupted transit (OR = 1.74, 95% CI [1.12, 2.71]), and having experienced violence during transit (OR = 2.50, 95% CI [1.63, 3.82]) were associated with CMD. CONCLUSIONS Interrupted transit is a potential risk factor for mental health problems among migrants. Migration and public health policies should consider the mental health consequences of interrupted transit, and promote initiatives to address the mental health needs of migrants on the move.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ietza Bojorquez
- Department of Population Studies, El Colegio de la Frontera Norte, Tijuana, Mexico
| | - Jaime Sepúlveda
- Institute for Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, USA
| | - Deandra Lee
- Institute for Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, USA
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Ndimbii J, Guise A, Igonya EK, Owiti F, Strathdee S, Rhodes T. Qualitative Analysis of Community Support to Methadone Access in Kenya. Subst Use Misuse 2021; 56:1312-1319. [PMID: 34027819 PMCID: PMC10708729 DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2021.1922450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Methadone, as part of Medically Assisted Therapy (MAT) for treatment of opioid dependence and supporting HIV prevention and treatment, has been recently introduced in Kenya. Few low income settings have implemented methadone, so there is little evidence to guide ongoing scale-up across the region. We specifically consider the role of community level access barriers and support. OBJECTIVES To inform ongoing MAT implementation we implemented a qualitative study to understand access barriers and enablers at a community level. METHODS We conducted 30 semi-structured interviews with people who use drugs accessing MAT, supplemented by interviews with 2 stakeholders, linked to participant observation in a community drop in center within one urban area in Kenya. We used thematic analysis. RESULTS We developed five themes to express experiences of factors enabling and disabling MAT access and how community support can address these: 1) time, travel and economic hardship; 2) managing methadone and contingencies of life, 3) peer support among MAT clients as treatment ambassadors, 4) family relations, and 5)outreach project contributions. Crosscutting themes address managing socioeconomic constraints and gender inequities. CONCLUSIONS People who use drugs experience and manage socio-economic constraints and gender inequities in accessing MAT with the support of local communities. We discuss how these access barriers could be addressed through strengthening the participation of networks of people who use drugs in drug treatment and supporting community projects working with people who use drugs. We also explore potential for how socio-economic constraints could be managed within an integrated health and social care response.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andy Guise
- School of Population Health and Environmental Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Emmy Kageha Igonya
- School of Medicine, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
- Kenya & African Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Frederick Owiti
- School of Medicine, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
- Kenya & African Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Steffanie Strathdee
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Tim Rhodes
- Centre for Research on Drugs and Health Behaviour, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
- University of New South Wales, Syndey, Australia
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McBride B, Shannon K, Bingham B, Braschel M, Strathdee S, Goldenberg SM. Underreporting of Violence to Police among Women Sex Workers in Canada: Amplified Inequities for Im/migrant and In-Call Workers Prior to and Following End-Demand Legislation. Health Hum Rights 2020; 22:257-270. [PMID: 33390711 PMCID: PMC7762889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex workers globally face high levels of violence. In Canada, im/migrant sex workers who work in indoor venues may be uniquely targeted by police due to immigration policies, racialized policing, and the conflation of trafficking and sex work. In 2014, Canada passed end-demand legislation that purportedly encourages sex workers to report violence to police; however, little research has evaluated its impact. Using interrupted time series and multivariable logistic regression, we examined proportions of reporting violent incidents to police among sex workers who had experienced workplace violence (2010-2017), including potential changes prior to and following end-demand legislation. We then modeled the independent effects of im/migrant status and place of work on reporting violence. Among sex workers who experienced recent violence during the 7.5-year study (n=367), 38.2% of all participants and 12.7% of im/migrants reported violence to police, and there was no significant change in violence reporting after end-demand legislation. Our results suggest that end-demand laws do not remove barriers to justice faced by sex workers and instead actually perpetuate harms, particularly for racialized im/migrant and indoor workers. Policy reforms to decriminalize sex work, address discriminatory policing, and promote access to safety and justice are urgently needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bronwyn McBride
- Postdoctoral Fellow at Simon Fraser University and at the Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Kate Shannon
- Professor at the University of British Columbia and Executive Director at the Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Brittany Bingham
- Director of Indigenous Research at the Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity and Vancouver Coastal Health Aboriginal Health, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Melissa Braschel
- Statistician and Data Manager at the Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Steffanie Strathdee
- Associate Dean at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, San Diego, USA
| | - Shira M. Goldenberg
- Assistant Professor at Simon Fraser University and Director of Research Education at the Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity, Vancouver, Canada
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Olgin GK, Bórquez A, Baker P, Clairgue E, Morales M, Bañuelos A, Arredondo J, Harvey-Vera A, Strathdee S, Beletsky L, Cepeda JA. Preferences and acceptability of law enforcement initiated referrals for people who inject drugs: a mixed methods analysis. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy 2020; 15:75. [PMID: 33008431 PMCID: PMC7530855 DOI: 10.1186/s13011-020-00319-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Law enforcement officers (LEOs) come into frequent contact with people who inject drugs (PWID). Through service referrals, LEOs may facilitate PWID engagement in harm reduction, substance use treatment, and other health and supportive services. Little is known about PWID and LEO attitudes and concerns about service referrals, however. The objective of this mixed-methods study was to examine the alignment of service referral preferences and acceptability among PWID and LEOs in Tijuana, Mexico. METHODS We assessed service referral preferences and perceived likelihood of participation in health and social services, integrating data from structured questionnaires with 280 PWID and 306 LEOs, contextualized by semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 15 PWID and 17 LEOs enrolled in two parallel longitudinal cohorts in Tijuana, Mexico. RESULTS Among potential service referral options, both PWID (78%) and LEOs (88%) most frequently cited assistance with drug- and alcohol-use disorders. Over half of PWID and LEOs supported including harm reduction services such as syringe service programs, overdose prevention, and HIV testing. The majority of PWID supported LEO referrals to programs that addressed basic structural needs (e.g. personal care [62%], food assistance [61%], housing assistance [58%]). However, the proportion of LEOs (30-45%) who endorsed these service referrals was significantly lower (p < 0.01). Regarding referral acceptability, 71% of PWID reported they would be very likely or somewhat likely to make use of a referral compared to 94% of LEOs reporting that they thought PWID would always or sometimes utilize them. These results were echoed in the qualitative analysis, although practical barriers to referrals emerged, whereby PWID were less optimistic that they would utilize referrals compared to LEOs. CONCLUSIONS We identified strong support for LEO service referrals among both LEO and PWID respondents, with the highest preference for substance use treatment. LEO referral programs offer opportunities to deflect PWID contact with carceral systems while facilitating access to health and social services. However, appropriate investments and political will are needed to develop an evidence-based (integrated) service infrastructure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriella K Olgin
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California,San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Annick Bórquez
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California,San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Pieter Baker
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California,San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Erika Clairgue
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California,San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Mario Morales
- School of Government and Public Policy, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Arnulfo Bañuelos
- Department of Planning and Special Projects, Secretaría de Seguridad Pública Municipal, Tijuana, Mexico
| | - Jaime Arredondo
- Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económica, Aguascalientes, Mexico
| | - Alicia Harvey-Vera
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California,San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Steffanie Strathdee
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California,San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Leo Beletsky
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California,San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- School of Law and Bouve College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Javier A Cepeda
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California,San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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Aslam S, Lampley E, Wooten D, Karris M, Benson C, Strathdee S, Schooley RT. Lessons Learned From the First 10 Consecutive Cases of Intravenous Bacteriophage Therapy to Treat Multidrug-Resistant Bacterial Infections at a Single Center in the United States. Open Forum Infect Dis 2020; 7:ofaa389. [PMID: 33005701 PMCID: PMC7519779 DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofaa389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 146] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Due to increasing multidrug-resistant (MDR) infections, there is an interest in assessing the use of bacteriophage therapy (BT) as an antibiotic alternative. After the first successful case of intravenous BT to treat a systemic MDR infection at our institution in 2017, the Center for Innovative Phage Applications and Therapeutics (IPATH) was created at the University of California, San Diego, in June 2018. Methods We reviewed IPATH consult requests from June 1, 2018, to April 30, 2020, and reviewed the regulatory process of initiating BT on a compassionate basis in the United States. We also reviewed outcomes of the first 10 cases at our center treated with intravenous BT (from April 1, 2017, onwards). Results Among 785 BT requests to IPATH, BT was administered to 17 of 119 patients in whom it was recommended. One-third of requests were for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Mycobacterium abscessus. Intravenous BT was safe with a successful outcome in 7/10 antibiotic-recalcitrant infections at our center (6 were before IPATH). BT may be safely self-administered by outpatients, used for infection suppression/prophylaxis, and combined successfully with antibiotics despite antibiotic resistance, and phage resistance may be overcome with new phage(s). Failure occurred in 2 cases despite in vitro phage susceptibility. Conclusions We demonstrate the safety and feasibility of intravenous BT for a variety of infections and discuss practical considerations that will be critical for informing future clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saima Aslam
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.,Center for Innovative Phage Applications and Therapeutics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Elizabeth Lampley
- Center for Innovative Phage Applications and Therapeutics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Darcy Wooten
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Maile Karris
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Constance Benson
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.,Center for Innovative Phage Applications and Therapeutics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Steffanie Strathdee
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.,Center for Innovative Phage Applications and Therapeutics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Robert T Schooley
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.,Center for Innovative Phage Applications and Therapeutics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
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Vasylyeva TI, Smyrnov P, Strathdee S, Friedman SR. Challenges posed by COVID-19 to people who inject drugs and lessons from other outbreaks. J Int AIDS Soc 2020; 23:e25583. [PMID: 32697423 PMCID: PMC7375066 DOI: 10.1002/jia2.25583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, considerable effort is going into identifying and protecting those at risk. Criminalization, stigmatization and the psychological, physical, behavioural and economic consequences of substance use make people who inject drugs (PWID) extremely vulnerable to many infectious diseases. While relationships between drug use and blood-borne and sexually transmitted infections are well studied, less attention has been paid to other infectious disease outbreaks among PWID. DISCUSSION COVID-19 is likely to disproportionally affect PWID due to a high prevalence of comorbidities that make the disease more severe, unsanitary and overcrowded living conditions, stigmatization, common incarceration, homelessness and difficulties in adhering to quarantine, social distancing or self-isolation mandates. The COVID-19 pandemic also jeopardizes essential for PWID services, such as needle exchange or substitution therapy programmes, which can be affected both in a short- and a long-term perspective. Importantly, there is substantial evidence of other infectious disease outbreaks in PWID that were associated with factors that enable COVID-19 transmission, such as poor hygiene, overcrowded living conditions and communal ways of using drugs. CONCLUSIONS The COVID-19 crisis might increase risks of homelessnes, overdoses and unsafe injecting and sexual practices for PWID. In order to address existing inequalities, consultations with PWID advocacy groups are vital when designing inclusive health response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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13
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Cepeda JA, Bórquez A, Magana C, Vo A, Rafful C, Rangel G, Medina‐Mora ME, Strathdee S, Martin NK. Modelling integrated antiretroviral treatment and harm reduction services on HIV and overdose among people who inject drugs in Tijuana, Mexico. J Int AIDS Soc 2020; 23 Suppl 1:e25493. [PMID: 32562375 PMCID: PMC7305416 DOI: 10.1002/jia2.25493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Revised: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The HIV epidemic in Tijuana, Mexico is concentrated in key populations, including people who inject drugs (PWID). However, HIV interventions among PWID are minimal, and federal funding was provided for compulsory abstinence programmes associated with HIV and overdose. Alternatively, opioid agonist therapy reduces overdose, reincarceration, HIV, while improving antiretroviral therapy (ART) outcomes. We assessed potential impact and synergies of scaled-up integrated ART and opioid agonist therapy, compared to scale-up of each separately, and potential harms of compulsory abstinence programmes on HIV and fatal overdose among PWID in Tijuana. METHODS We developed a dynamic model of HIV transmission and overdose among PWID in Tijuana. We simulated scale-up of opioid agonist therapy from zero to 40% coverage among PWID. We evaluated synergistic benefits of an integrated harm reduction and ART scale-up strategy (40% opioid agonist therapy coverage and 10-fold ART recruitment), compared to scale-up of each intervention alone or no scale-up of low coverage ART and no harm reduction). We additionally simulated compulsory abstinence programmes (associated with 14% higher risk of receptive syringe sharing and 76% higher odds of overdose) among PWID. RESULTS Without intervention, HIV incidence among PWID could increase from 0.72 per 100 person-years (PY) in 2020 to 0.92 per 100 PY in 2030. Over ten years, opioid agonist therapy scale-up could avert 31% (95% uncertainty interval (UI): 18%, 46%) and 22% (95% UI: 10%, 28%) new HIV infections and fatal overdoses, respectively, with the majority of HIV impact from the direct effect on HIV transmission due to low ART coverage. Integrating opioid agonist therapy and ART scale-up provided synergistic benefits, with opioid agonist therapy effects on ART recruitment/retention averting 9% more new infections compared to ART scale-up alone. The intervention strategy could avert 48% (95% UI: 26%, 68%) of new HIV infections and one-fifth of fatal overdoses over ten years. Conversely, compulsory abstinence programmes could increase HIV and overdoses. CONCLUSIONS Integrating ART with opioid agonist therapy could provide synergistic benefits and prevent HIV and overdoses among PWID in Tijuana, whereas compulsory abstinence programmes could cause harm. Policymakers should consider the benefits of integrating harm reduction and HIV services for PWID.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier A Cepeda
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public HealthUniversity of California San DiegoSan DiegoCAUSA
| | - Annick Bórquez
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public HealthUniversity of California San DiegoSan DiegoCAUSA
| | - Christopher Magana
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public HealthUniversity of California San DiegoSan DiegoCAUSA
| | - Anh Vo
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public HealthUniversity of California San DiegoSan DiegoCAUSA
| | - Claudia Rafful
- Faculty of PsychologyUniversidad Nacional Autonoma de MexicoMexico CityMexico
- Center on Global Mental Health ResearchNational Institute on Psychiatry Ramón de la Fuente MuñizMexico CityMexico
- Centre on Drug Policy EvaluationSt. Michael’s HospitalTorontoCanada
| | - Gudelia Rangel
- Comisión de Salud Fronteriza México‐Estados UnidosTijuanaMexico
- El Colegio de la Frontera NorteTijuanaMexico
| | - María E Medina‐Mora
- Center on Global Mental Health ResearchNational Institute on Psychiatry Ramón de la Fuente MuñizMexico CityMexico
| | - Steffanie Strathdee
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public HealthUniversity of California San DiegoSan DiegoCAUSA
| | - Natasha K Martin
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public HealthUniversity of California San DiegoSan DiegoCAUSA
- Population Health SciencesUniversity of BristolBristolUnited Kingdom
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14
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Rocha-Jiménez T, Mittal ML, Artamonova I, Baker P, Cepeda J, Morales M, Abramovitz D, Clairgue E, Bañuelos A, Patterson T, Strathdee S, Beletsky L. The Role of Gender in the Health and Human Rights Practices of Police: The SHIELD Study in Tijuana, Mexico. Health Hum Rights 2019; 21:227-238. [PMID: 31239629 PMCID: PMC6586956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Globally, punitive drug law enforcement drives human rights violations. Drug control tactics, such as syringe confiscation and drug-related arrests, also cascade into health harms among people who use drugs. The role of police officer characteristics in shaping such enforcement and measures to reform police practices remains underexamined. We evaluated gender differences in syringe confiscation and syringe-related arrest behaviors among municipal police officers in Tijuana, Mexico, where syringe possession is legal. In the context of the SHIELD Study focusing on aligning policing with harm reduction measures, our baseline sample covered municipal police officers who reported having occupational contact with syringes. We used multivariable logistic regression with robust variance estimation via a generalized estimating equation to identify correlates of syringe-related policing behaviors. Among respondent officers (n=1,555), 12% were female. After considering possible confounding variables, such as district of service and work experience, female officers were significantly less likely to report confiscating syringes or arresting individuals for syringe possession. Consideration of officer gender is important in the design of interventions to improve the health and human rights of people who inject drugs and other highly policed groups, as well as measures to safeguard officer occupational safety. The feminization of law enforcement deserves special consideration as an imperative in reducing the public health harms of policing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresita Rocha-Jiménez
- Research associate at the University of California San Diego’s Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health and a fellow at the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, University of California San Diego, USA
| | - Maria Luisa Mittal
- Project scientist at the Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, USA
| | | | - Pieter Baker
- PhD student and research associate at the University of California San Diego and San Diego State University, USA
| | - Javier Cepeda
- Assistant professor at the Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, USA
| | - Mario Morales
- Research assistant at the Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, USA
| | - Daniela Abramovitz
- Principal statistician at the Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, USA
| | - Erika Clairgue
- Research program manager at the University of California San Diego, USA
| | - Arnulfo Bañuelos
- Research liaison at the Secretaría de Seguridad Pública Municipal, department of special planning and projects, Tijuana, Mexico
| | - Thomas Patterson
- Distinguished professor of psychiatry at the University of California San Diego, USA
| | - Steffanie Strathdee
- Associate dean of global health sciences, Harold Simon Professor at the University of California San Diego Department of Medicine, and principal investigator at Project ESCUDO
| | - Leo Beletsky
- Professor at the School of Law and Bouvé College of�Health Sciences, Northeastern University, and an associate adjunct professor at the University of California San Diego, USA
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15
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Beletsky L, Baker P, Arredondo J, Emuka A, Goodman-Meza D, Medina-Mora ME, Werb D, Davidson P, Amon JJ, Strathdee S, Magis-Rodriguez C. The global health and equity imperative for safe consumption facilities. Lancet 2018; 392:553-554. [PMID: 30152386 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(18)31469-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2018] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Leo Beletsky
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; School of Law and Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Pieter Baker
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Jaime Arredondo
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Ashley Emuka
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - David Goodman-Meza
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Dan Werb
- Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada; Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Peter Davidson
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Joseph J Amon
- Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Steffanie Strathdee
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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16
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Mburu G, Ayon S, Tsai AC, Ndimbii J, Wang B, Strathdee S, Seeley J. "Who has ever loved a drug addict? It's a lie. They think a 'teja' is as bad person": multiple stigmas faced by women who inject drugs in coastal Kenya. Harm Reduct J 2018; 15:29. [PMID: 29801494 PMCID: PMC5970466 DOI: 10.1186/s12954-018-0235-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 05/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A tenth of all people who inject drugs in Kenya are women, yet their social contexts and experiences remain poorly understood. This paper reports how multiple forms of stigma are experienced by women who inject drugs in coastal Kenya and the impact that they have on their ability to access essential health services. METHODS In 2015, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were held with 45 women who inject drugs in two coastal towns. These data were supplemented with in-depth interviews with five individual stakeholders involved in service provision to this population. Data were analyzed thematically using NVivo. RESULTS Women who inject drugs experience multiple stigmas, often simultaneously. These included the external stigma and self-stigma of injection drug use, external gender-related stigma of being a female injecting drug user, and the external stigma of being HIV positive (i.e., among those living with HIV). Stigma led to rejection, social exclusion, low self-esteem, and delay or denial of services at health facilities. CONCLUSION HIV and harm reduction programs should incorporate interventions that address different forms of stigma among women who inject drugs in coastal Kenya. Addressing stigma will require a combination of individual, social, and structural interventions, such as collective empowerment of injecting drug users, training of healthcare providers on issues and needs of women who inject drugs, peer accompaniment to health facilities, addressing wider social determinants of stigma and discrimination, and expansion of harm reduction interventions to change perceptions of communities towards women who inject drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gitau Mburu
- Division of Health Research, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.
| | | | - Alexander C Tsai
- Chester M. Pierce, MD Division of Global Psychiatry, The Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA
| | | | | | - Steffanie Strathdee
- Division of Global Public Health, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, San Diego, USA
| | - Janet Seeley
- Department of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
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17
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Ospina-Escobar A, Magis-Rodríguez C, Juárez F, Werb D, Bautista Arredondo S, Carreón R, Ramos ME, Strathdee S. Comparing risk environments for HIV among people who inject drugs from three cities in Northern Mexico. Harm Reduct J 2018; 15:27. [PMID: 29776368 PMCID: PMC5960140 DOI: 10.1186/s12954-018-0225-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2018] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background A large body of research has investigated the rise of injection drug use and HIV transmission in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez (CJ). However, little is known about the dynamics of injecting in Hermosillo. This study compares drug-related behaviors and risk environment for HIV of people who inject drugs (PWID) across Tijuana, CJ, and Hermosillo to identify factors that could explain differences in HIV prevalence. Methods Data from Tijuana belong to a prospective study (El Cuete IV). Data from Hermosillo and Ciudad Juarez belong to a cross-sectional study. Both studies collected data in places where PWID spend time. All participants completed quantitative behavioral and serological testing for HIV. Datasets were merged using only comparable variables. Descriptive statistics tests were used to compare sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics of people who inject drugs PWID sampled in each city. A logistic regression model was built to identify factors independently associated with the likelihood of reporting receptive syringe sharing in the past 6 months. Results A total of 1494 PWID provided data between March 2011 and May 2012. HIV prevalence differed significantly between participants in Tijuana (4.2%), CJ (7.7%), and Hermosillo (5.2%; p < 0.05). PWID from Hermosillo reported better living conditions, less frequency of drug injection, and lower prevalence of syringe sharing (p < 0.01). PWID from CJ reported a higher prevalence of syringe sharing and confiscation by police (p < 0.01). In a multivariable logistic regression model, living in Hermosillo compared to Tijuana (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.42, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.29–0.61) and being female (AOR = 0.61, 95% CI 0.45–0.83) were protective against syringe sharing. Having used crystal meth (AOR = 1.62, 95% CI 1.24–2.13, p = 0.001), having experienced syringe confiscation by police in the last 6 months (AOR = 1.78, 95% CI 1.34–2.40), and lower perception of syringe availability (AOR = 2.15, 95% CI 1.59–2.91) were significantly associated with syringe sharing (p < 0.05). Conclusions Differences in HIV prevalence across cities reflect mainly differences in risk environments experienced by PWID, shaped by police practices, access to injection equipment, and dynamics of drug markets. Findings highlight the importance of ensuring sterile syringe availability through harm reduction services and a human rights approach to drug harms in northern Mexico and to generate better understanding of local dynamics and contexts of drug use for designing proper harm reduction programs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Dan Werb
- Division of Global Public Health, University of California, San Diego, USA.
| | | | - Rubén Carreón
- Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, Mexico
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18
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Jackson LA, Millson M, Calzavara L, Strathdee S, Walmsley S, Rachlis A, Rowe C, Wagner C. Community HIV Prevention: What Can We Learn from the Perceptions and Experiences of HIV-Positive Women Living in Metropolitan Toronto, Canada? Int Q Community Health Educ 2016. [DOI: 10.2190/2y21-g5lj-mjvb-h6va] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Researchers and practitioners have pointed to a number of gender issues that influence women's ability to practice safer sex and protect themselves from HIV. Many of the studies, however, are based on research with HIV-negative women. This qualitative study sought to explore with forty HIV-positive women (for whom prevention was not effective) the types of issues that they believe need to be addressed to ensure effective prevention for other women. Participants also were asked to discuss the impact of HIV on their sexual lives as a means of exploring the types of issues that are needed to ensure effective secondary prevention efforts. Many of the women interviewed suggested that not only is there a need to challenge gender inequities as a means of ensuring women's protection against HIV, but that different “accommodation strategies” are necessary in the short-term to ensure women's health. In addition, many of the women pointed to the fact that women's identity—as wife or girlfriend—is often based on the belief that their sexual relationships are “safe” from HIV. The importance of addressing gender identity (rooted in gender inequities) when developing HIV prevention efforts is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lois A. Jackson
- School of Health and Human Performance, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia
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19
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Zunt JR, Chi BH, Heimburger DC, Cohen CR, Strathdee S, Hobbs N, Thomas Y, Bale K, Salisbury K, Hernandez MT, Riley LW, Vermund SH, van der Horst C. The National Institutes of Health Fogarty International Center Global Health Scholars and Fellows Program: Collaborating Across Five Consortia to Strengthen Research Training. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2016; 95:728-34. [PMID: 27382074 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.16-0190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2016] [Accepted: 05/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
As demand for global health research training continues to grow, many universities are striving to meet the needs of trainees in a manner complementary to research priorities of the institutions hosting trainees, while also increasing capacity for conducting research. We provide an overview of the first 4 years of the Global Health Program for Fellows and Scholars, a collaboration of 20 U.S. universities and institutions spread across 36 low- and middle-income countries funded through the National Institutes of Health Fogarty International Center. We highlight many aspects of our program development that may be of interest to other multinational consortia developing global health research training programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph R Zunt
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. Department of Neurology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
| | - Benjamin H Chi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Douglas C Heimburger
- Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, Nashville, Tennessee. Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Craig R Cohen
- University of California Global Health Institute, San Francisco, California. Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, California
| | - Steffanie Strathdee
- University of California Global Health Institute, San Francisco, California. Division of Global Public Health, University of California, San Diego, California
| | - Nicole Hobbs
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Yolanda Thomas
- Rambiss Consulting Group, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Kimberly Bale
- University of California Global Health Institute, San Francisco, California. Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, California
| | - Kathryn Salisbury
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | | | - Lee W Riley
- University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California
| | - Sten H Vermund
- Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, Nashville, Tennessee. Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee. Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Charles van der Horst
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
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Werb D, Kazatchkine M, Kerr T, Nutt D, Strathdee S, Hankins C, Hayashi K, Montaner J, Jarlais DD, Maghsoudi N, Wood E. A call to reprioritise metrics to evaluate illicit drug policy. Lancet 2016; 387:1371. [PMID: 27115811 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(16)30074-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dan Werb
- Division of Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA; International Centre for Science in Drug Policy, Toronto, ON M5B 1W8, Canada.
| | | | - Thomas Kerr
- Urban Health Research Initiative, BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - David Nutt
- Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Steffanie Strathdee
- Division of Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Catherine Hankins
- Department of Global Health, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Kanna Hayashi
- Urban Health Research Initiative, BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Julio Montaner
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouva, BC, Canada
| | - Don Des Jarlais
- Center for Drug Use and HIV Research, New York University College of Nursing, New York, NY, USA
| | - Nazlee Maghsoudi
- International Centre for Science in Drug Policy, Toronto, ON M5B 1W8, Canada
| | - Evan Wood
- Division of Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
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Rhodes T, Closson EF, Paparini S, Guise A, Strathdee S. Towards "evidence-making intervention" approaches in the social science of implementation science: The making of methadone in East Africa. Int J Drug Policy 2016; 30:17-26. [PMID: 26905934 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2016.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2015] [Revised: 12/10/2015] [Accepted: 01/05/2016] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
In this commentary, we take the recent introduction of methadone treatment in response to emerging problems of HIV linked to heroin addiction in Kenya as a case for reflecting on the social science of implementation science. We offer a framework of 'evidence-making intervention' which we hold as distinct from mainstream 'evidence-based intervention' approaches. Whilst accepting that interventions are shaped in their contexts, evidence-based intervention approaches tend to imagine a stable intervention object with universal effect potential. By contrast, an evidence-making intervention approach investigates how an intervention, and the knowledge which constitutes it, is made locally, through its processes of implementation. Drawing on qualitative research generated in Kenya prior to (2012-2013) and during (2014-2015) the implementation of methadone treatment, we explore the making of 'methadone promise' as a case of evidence-making intervention. We show how enactments of methadone promise make multiple methadones, through which a binary is negotiated between the narratives of methadone as hope for addiction recovery and methadone as hope for HIV prevention. Addiction recovery narratives predominate, despite methadone's incorporation into policy via its globally supported HIV prevention evidence-base. Key practices in the making of methadone promise in Kenya include its medicalization, and renaming, as 'medically assisted treatment' - or simply 'MAT' - which distance it from prior constitutions elsewhere as a drug of substitution, and the visualisation of its effects wherein unhealthy people can be seen and shown to have become well. We also show how actors seek to protect the story of methadone promise from counter narratives, including through mass media projects. We conclude that there is no single biomedical object of methadone intervening on a single biological body across contexts, and no single universe of evidence. By giving weight to local rather than outside expert knowledge, and by tracing how the meaning of intervention is made locally through its implementation, we can make visible the multiple enactments of an intervention and how these shape local ecologies of care, including in ways beyond those foreseen by an intervention's evidencing elsewhere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Rhodes
- Centre for Research on Drugs and Health Behaviour, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK; National Centre for Social Research on Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
| | - Elizabeth F Closson
- Centre for Research on Drugs and Health Behaviour, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Sara Paparini
- Centre for Research on Drugs and Health Behaviour, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Andy Guise
- Centre for Research on Drugs and Health Behaviour, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK; Division of Global Public Health, University of California at San Diego, USA
| | - Steffanie Strathdee
- Division of Global Public Health, University of California at San Diego, USA
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Mehta SR, Wertheim JO, Brouwer KC, Wagner KD, Chaillon A, Strathdee S, Patterson TL, Rangel MG, Vargas M, Murrell B, Garfein R, Little SJ, Smith DM. HIV Transmission Networks in the San Diego-Tijuana Border Region. EBioMedicine 2015; 2:1456-63. [PMID: 26629540 PMCID: PMC4634195 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2015.07.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2015] [Accepted: 07/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND HIV sequence data can be used to reconstruct local transmission networks. Along international borders, like the San Diego-Tijuana region, understanding the dynamics of HIV transmission across reported risks, racial/ethnic groups, and geography can help direct effective prevention efforts on both sides of the border. METHODS We gathered sociodemographic, geographic, clinical, and viral sequence data from HIV infected individuals participating in ten studies in the San Diego-Tijuana border region. Phylogenetic and network analysis was performed to infer putative relationships between HIV sequences. Correlates of identified clusters were evaluated and spatiotemporal relationships were explored using Bayesian phylogeographic analysis. FINDINGS After quality filtering, 843 HIV sequences with associated demographic data and 263 background sequences from the region were analyzed, and 138 clusters were inferred (2-23 individuals). Overall, the rate of clustering did not differ by ethnicity, residence, or sex, but bisexuals were less likely to cluster than heterosexuals or men who have sex with men (p = 0.043), and individuals identifying as white (p ≤ 0.01) were more likely to cluster than other races. Clustering individuals were also 3.5 years younger than non-clustering individuals (p < 0.001). Although the sampled San Diego and Tijuana epidemics were phylogenetically compartmentalized, five clusters contained individuals residing on both sides of the border. INTERPRETATION This study sampled ~ 7% of HIV infected individuals in the border region, and although the sampled networks on each side of the border were largely separate, there was evidence of persistent bidirectional cross-border transmissions that linked risk groups, thus highlighting the importance of the border region as a "melting pot" of risk groups. FUNDING NIH, VA, and Pendleton Foundation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjay R Mehta
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California San Diego, #8208 200 W. Arbor St. San Diego, CA 92103, United States ; Division of Infectious Diseases, San Diego Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 3350 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA 92161, United States
| | - Joel O Wertheim
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California San Diego, #8208 200 W. Arbor St. San Diego, CA 92103, United States
| | - Kimberly C Brouwer
- Division of Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, #0507, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
| | - Karla D Wagner
- School of Community Health Sciences, University of Nevada Reno, Lombardi Building, 203, MS 0274, Reno, NV 89557, United States
| | - Antoine Chaillon
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California San Diego, #8208 200 W. Arbor St. San Diego, CA 92103, United States
| | - Steffanie Strathdee
- Division of Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, #0507, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
| | - Thomas L Patterson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego #0680, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
| | - Maria G Rangel
- El Colegio de la Frontera Norte, San Antonio del Mar, Baja California, Mexico
| | - Mlenka Vargas
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California San Diego, #8208 200 W. Arbor St. San Diego, CA 92103, United States
| | - Ben Murrell
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California San Diego, #8208 200 W. Arbor St. San Diego, CA 92103, United States
| | - Richard Garfein
- Division of Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, #0507, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
| | - Susan J Little
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California San Diego, #8208 200 W. Arbor St. San Diego, CA 92103, United States
| | - Davey M Smith
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California San Diego, #8208 200 W. Arbor St. San Diego, CA 92103, United States ; Division of Infectious Diseases, San Diego Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 3350 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA 92161, United States
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Latypov A, Grund JP, El-Bassel N, Platt L, Stöver H, Strathdee S. Illicit drugs in Central Asia: what we know, what we don’t know, and what we need to know. Int J Drug Policy 2015; 25:1155-62. [PMID: 25449055 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2014.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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Rhodes T, Guise A, Ndimbii J, Strathdee S, Ngugi E, Platt L, Kurth A, Cleland C, Vickerman P. Is the promise of methadone Kenya's solution to managing HIV and addiction? A mixed-method mathematical modelling and qualitative study. BMJ Open 2015; 5:e007198. [PMID: 25748417 PMCID: PMC4360822 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2014-007198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2014] [Revised: 12/23/2014] [Accepted: 01/14/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Promoted globally as an evidence-based intervention in the prevention of HIV and treatment of heroin addiction among people who inject drugs (PWID), opioid substitution treatment (OST) can help control emerging HIV epidemics among PWID. With implementation in December 2014, Kenya is the third Sub-Saharan African country to have introduced OST. We combine dynamic mathematical modelling with qualitative sociological research to examine the 'promise of methadone' to Kenya. METHODS, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS We model the HIV prevention impact of OST in Nairobi, Kenya, at different levels of intervention coverage. We draw on thematic analyses of 109 qualitative interviews with PWID, and 43 with stakeholders, to chart their narratives of expectation in relation to the promise of methadone. RESULTS The modelled impact of OST shows relatively slight reductions in HIV incidence (5-10%) and prevalence (2-4%) over 5 years at coverage levels (around 10%) anticipated in the planned roll-out of OST. However, there is a higher impact with increased coverage, with 40% coverage producing a 20% reduction in HIV incidence, even when accounting for relatively high sexual transmissions. Qualitative findings emphasise a culture of 'rationed expectation' in relation to access to care and a 'poverty of drug treatment opportunity'. In this context, the promise of methadone may be narrated as a symbol of hope-both for individuals and community-in relation to addiction recovery. CONCLUSIONS Methadone offers HIV prevention potential, but there is a need to better model the effects of sexual HIV transmission in mediating the impact of OST among PWID in settings characterised by a combination of generalised and concentrated epidemics. We find that individual and community narratives of methadone as hope for recovery coexist with policy narratives positioning methadone primarily in relation to HIV prevention. Our analyses show the value of mixed methods approaches to investigating newly-introduced interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Rhodes
- Centre for Research on Drugs and Health Behaviour, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Andy Guise
- Centre for Research on Drugs and Health Behaviour, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - James Ndimbii
- Kenyan Consortium of AIDS Non-Government Organisations, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Steffanie Strathdee
- Division of Global Health, School of Medicine, University of California at San Diego, San Diego, USA
| | - Elizabeth Ngugi
- Centre for HIV Prevention Research, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Lucy Platt
- Centre for Research on Drugs and Health Behaviour, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Ann Kurth
- Institute for Global Health, College of Nursing, New York University, New York, USA
| | - Charles Cleland
- Institute for Global Health, College of Nursing, New York University, New York, USA
| | - Peter Vickerman
- Centre for Research on Drugs and Health Behaviour, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
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Servin AE, Strathdee S, Muñoz FA, Vera A, Rangel G, Silverman JG. Vulnerabilities faced by the children of sex workers in two Mexico-US border cities: a retrospective study on sexual violence, substance use and HIV risk. AIDS Care 2014; 27:1-5. [PMID: 25117749 PMCID: PMC4221409 DOI: 10.1080/09540121.2014.946384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2014] [Accepted: 07/07/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Most studies of female sex workers (FSWs) conducted in the Mexico-US border region have focused on individual HIV risk, centered on sexual behaviors and substance abuse patterns. Little attention has been drawn to the reality that sex workers are often parents whose children potentially face vulnerabilities unique to their family situation. The objective of the present study was to identify the vulnerabilities faced by the children of FSWs in two Mexican-US border cities. From 2008 to 2010, 628 FSW-injection drug users underwent interviewer-administered surveys and HIV/STI testing. Approximately one in five participants (20%) reported having a parent involved in sex work and majority referred it was their mother (88%). Close to one-third of participants (31%) reported first injecting drugs <18 years of age, and 33% reported they began working regularly as a prostitute <18 years of age. First drinking alcohol <18 years old (AOR = 1.87, 95%CI: 1.13-3.08), lifetime cocaine use (AOR = 1.76, 95%CI: 1.09-2.84), ever being forced or coerced into non-consensual sex as a minor (<18 years of age; AOR = 1.54, 95%CI: 1.01-2.35), and injecting drugs with used syringes in the prior month (AOR = 1.63, 95%CI: 1.07-2.49) were the factors associated with having had a parent involved in sex work. These findings begin to lay the groundwork for understanding the potential vulnerabilities faced by the children of sex workers. Understanding these potential needs is necessary for creating relevant, evidence-based interventions focused on supporting these women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Argentina E Servin
- a Department of Medicine, Division of Global Public Health , University of California , San Diego , CA , USA
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES Illegal drug use continues to be a major threat to community health and safety. We used international drug surveillance databases to assess the relationship between multiple long-term estimates of illegal drug price and purity. DESIGN We systematically searched for longitudinal measures of illegal drug supply indicators to assess the long-term impact of enforcement-based supply reduction interventions. SETTING Data from identified illegal drug surveillance systems were analysed using an a priori defined protocol in which we sought to present annual estimates beginning in 1990. Data were then subjected to trend analyses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Data were obtained from government surveillance systems assessing price, purity and/or seizure quantities of illegal drugs; systems with at least 10 years of longitudinal data assessing price, purity/potency or seizures were included. RESULTS We identified seven regional/international metasurveillance systems with longitudinal measures of price or purity/potency that met eligibility criteria. In the USA, the average inflation-adjusted and purity-adjusted prices of heroin, cocaine and cannabis decreased by 81%, 80% and 86%, respectively, between 1990 and 2007, whereas average purity increased by 60%, 11% and 161%, respectively. Similar trends were observed in Europe, where during the same period the average inflation-adjusted price of opiates and cocaine decreased by 74% and 51%, respectively. In Australia, the average inflation-adjusted price of cocaine decreased 14%, while the inflation-adjusted price of heroin and cannabis both decreased 49% between 2000 and 2010. During this time, seizures of these drugs in major production regions and major domestic markets generally increased. CONCLUSIONS With few exceptions and despite increasing investments in enforcement-based supply reduction efforts aimed at disrupting global drug supply, illegal drug prices have generally decreased while drug purity has generally increased since 1990. These findings suggest that expanding efforts at controlling the global illegal drug market through law enforcement are failing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Werb
- Urban Health Research Initiative, BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Thomas Kerr
- Urban Health Research Initiative, BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Bohdan Nosyk
- BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Steffanie Strathdee
- University of California San Diego, Institute of the Americas, La Jolla, California, USA
| | | | - Evan Wood
- Urban Health Research Initiative, BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, Canada
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Vickerman P, Martin NK, Roy A, Beattie T, Jarlais DD, Strathdee S, Wiessing L, Hickman M. Is the HCV-HIV co-infection prevalence amongst injecting drug users a marker for the level of sexual and injection related HIV transmission? Drug Alcohol Depend 2013; 132:172-81. [PMID: 23453261 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2013.01.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2012] [Revised: 01/28/2013] [Accepted: 01/28/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Amongst injecting drug users (IDUs), HIV is transmitted sexually and parenterally, but HCV is transmitted primarily parenterally. We assess and model the antibody prevalence of HCV amongst HIV-infected IDUs (denoted as HCV-HIV co-infection prevalence) and consider whether it proxies the degree of sexual HIV transmission amongst IDUs. METHODS HIV, HCV and HCV-HIV co-infection prevalence data amongst IDU was reviewed. An HIV/HCV transmission model was adapted. Multivariate model uncertainty analyses determined whether the model's ability to replicate observed data trends required the inclusion of sexual HIV transmission. The correlation between the model's HCV-HIV co-infection prevalence and estimated proportion of HIV infections due to injecting was evaluated. RESULTS The median HCV-HIV co-infection prevalence (prevalence of HCV amongst HIV-infected IDUs) was 90% across 195 estimates from 43 countries. High HCV-HIV co-infection prevalences (>80%) occur in most (75%) settings, but can be lower in settings with low HIV prevalence (<10%) or high HIV/HCV prevalence ratios (HIV prevalence divided by HCV prevalence>0.75). The model without sexual HIV transmission reproduced some data trends but could not reproduce any epidemics with high HIV/HCV prevalence ratios (>0.85) or low HCV-HIV co-infection prevalence (<60%) when HIV prevalence>10%. The model with sexual HIV transmission reproduced data trends more closely. The proportion of HIV infections due to injecting correlated with HCV-HIV co-infection prevalence; suggesting that up to 80/60/<20% of HIV infections could be sexually transmitted in settings with HCV-HIV co-infection prevalence between 50-60/70-80/>90%. CONCLUSION Substantial sexual HIV transmission may occur in many IDU populations; HCV-HIV co-infection prevalence could signify its importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Vickerman
- Social and Mathematical Epidemiology Group London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
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Hyshka E, Strathdee S, Wood E, Kerr T. Needle exchange and the HIV epidemic in Vancouver: lessons learned from 15 years of research. Int J Drug Policy 2012; 23:261-70. [PMID: 22579215 PMCID: PMC3392518 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2012.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2011] [Revised: 03/23/2012] [Accepted: 03/26/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
During the mid-1990s, Vancouver experienced a well characterized HIV outbreak among injection drug users (IDU) and many questioned how this could occur in the presence of a high volume needle exchange program (NEP). Specific concerns were fuelled by early research demonstrating that frequent needle exchange program attendees were more likely to be HIV positive than those who attended the NEP less frequently. Since then, some have misinterpreted this finding as evidence that NEPs are ineffective or potentially harmful. In light of continuing questions about the Vancouver HIV epidemic, we review 15 years of peer-reviewed research on Vancouver's NEP to describe what has been learned through this work. Our review demonstrates that: (1) NEP attendance is not causally associated with HIV infection, (2) frequent attendees of Vancouver's NEP have higher risk profiles which explain their increased risk of HIV seroconversion, and (3) a number of policy concerns, as well as the high prevalence of cocaine injecting contributed to the failure of the NEP to prevent the outbreak. Additionally, we highlight several improvements to Vancouver's NEP that contributed to declines in syringe sharing and HIV incidence. Vancouver's experience provides a number of important lessons regarding NEP. Keys to success include refocusing the NEP away from an emphasis on public order objectives by separating distribution and collection functions, removing syringe distribution limits and decentralizing and diversifying NEP services. Additionally, our review highlights the importance of context when implementing NEPs, as well as ongoing evaluation to identify factors that constrain or improve access to sterile syringes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elaine Hyshka
- Addiction and Mental Health Research Lab, School of Public Health, University of Alberta
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, University of British Columbia
| | | | - Evan Wood
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, University of British Columbia
- Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia
| | - Thomas Kerr
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, University of British Columbia
- Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia
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Gardner LI, Marks G, Craw J, Metsch L, Strathdee S, Anderson-Mahoney P, del Rio C. Demographic, psychological, and behavioral modifiers of the Antiretroviral Treatment Access Study (ARTAS) intervention. AIDS Patient Care STDS 2009; 23:735-42. [PMID: 19645619 DOI: 10.1089/apc.2008.0262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study sought to identify demographic, structural, behavioral, and psychological subgroups for which the Antiretroviral Treatment Access Study (ARTAS) intervention had stronger or weaker effects in linking recently diagnosed HIV-positive persons to medical care. The study, carried out from 2001 to 2003, randomized 316 participants to receive either passive referral or a strengths-based linkage intervention to facilitate entry into HIV primary care. The outcome was attending at least one HIV primary care visit in each of two consecutive 6-month periods. Participants (71% male; 29% Hispanic; 57% black non-Hispanic), were recruited from sexually transmitted disease clinics, hospitals and community-based organizations in four U.S. cities. Thirteen effect modifier variables measured at baseline were examined. Subgroup differences were formally tested with interaction terms in unadjusted and adjusted log-linear regression models. Eighty-six percent (273/316) of participants had complete 12-month follow-up data. The intervention significantly improved linkage to care in 12 of 26 subgroups. In multivariate analysis of effect modification, the intervention was significantly (p < 0.05) stronger among Hispanics than other racial/ethnic groups combined, stronger among those with unstable than stable housing, and stronger among those who were not experiencing depressive symptoms compared to those who were. The ARTAS linkage intervention was successful in many but not all subgroups of persons recently diagnosed with HIV infection. For three variables, the intervention effect was significantly stronger in one subgroup compared to the counterpart subgroup. To increase its scope, the intervention may need to be tailored to the specific needs of groups that did not respond well to the intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lytt I. Gardner
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Gary Marks
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Jason Craw
- Northrop Grumman, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia
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Affiliation(s)
- David Vlahov
- Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies, New York Academy of Medicine, NY, USA.
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Werb D, Wood E, Small W, Strathdee S, Li K, Montaner J, Kerr T. Effects of police confiscation of illicit drugs and syringes among injection drug users in Vancouver. Int J Drug Policy 2007; 19:332-8. [PMID: 17900888 PMCID: PMC2529170 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2007.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2007] [Revised: 08/01/2007] [Accepted: 08/03/2007] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Drug market policing has been associated with various harms among injection drug users (IDU). However, little is known about instances in which drugs and injecting equipment are confiscated from IDU in the absence of a formal arrest. METHODS We examined factors associated with being stopped, searched, or detained by police among participants in the Vancouver Injection Drug Users Study (VIDUS) using logistic regression. We also examined actions taken by study participants immediately following instances in which drugs or syringes were confiscated by police. RESULTS Among 465 active IDU, 130 (28.0%) reported being detained by police in the last 6 months without being arrested. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, factors associated with being stopped, searched or detained by police included homelessness (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR]=3.96, 95% CI: 1.86-8.45), recent incarceration (AOR=3.52, 95% CI: 1.75-7.10), frequent crack use (AOR=2.24, 95% CI: 1.34-3.74), requiring help injecting (AOR=5.20, 95% CI: 1.21-22.39), and lending syringes (AOR=3.18, 95% CI: 1.09-9.30). Of those who reported being detained, 34% participants reported having had drugs confiscated, and 70% of these reported that they immediately acquired more drugs. Fifty-one percent of participants who reported being detained also reported having had syringes confiscated, and of this group, 6% reported immediately borrowing used syringes. CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrates that the IDU most affected by street-level policing tend to possess various characteristics, such as homelessness, that place them at heightened risk for various adverse health outcomes. Our findings also suggest that the confiscation of drugs and/or needles and syringes through discretionary policing practices have the potential to exacerbate drug market activity or prompt increased syringe borrowing. These findings indicate the need for ongoing evaluation of the public health impacts of discretionary policing approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Werb
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Evan Wood
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, Canada
- Department of Health Care and Epidemiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Will Small
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Steffanie Strathdee
- Division of International Health and Cross Cultural Medicine, University of California at San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Kathy Li
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Julio Montaner
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, Canada
- Department of Medicine and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Thomas Kerr
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, Canada
- Department of Health Care and Epidemiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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Abstract
Prospective data were analyzed to examine individual and social network characteristics that predict entry into drug treatment among a sample of 557 heroin and cocaine users. Entering treatment was associated with being HIV positive [AOR: 2.25, 95% CI: 1.33-3.81] and a history of drug treatment [AOR: 3.41, 95% CI: 2.19-5.31]. Individuals with a greater number of social network members who were in drug treatment [AOR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.07-1.56] and fewer network members who smoked crack [AOR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.75-0.99] were more likely to enter treatment. Social network-based interventions that promote successful outcomes in drug treatment are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa A Davey
- Department of Health, Behavior, and Society, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, 1629 East Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA.
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Hagan H, Campbell J, Thiede H, Strathdee S, Ouellet L, Kapadia F, Hudson S, Garfein RS. Self-reported hepatitis C virus antibody status and risk behavior in young injectors. Public Health Rep 2007; 121:710-9. [PMID: 17278406 PMCID: PMC1781913 DOI: 10.1177/003335490612100611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 121] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study was conducted to assess the accuracy of self-reported hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody (anti-HCV) serostatus in injection drug users (IDUs), and examine whether self-reported anti-HCV serostatus was associated with recent injection risk behavior. METHODS In five U.S. cities (Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Seattle), 3,004 IDUs from 15 to 30 years old were recruited for a baseline interview to determine eligibility for a randomized controlled trial of a behavioral intervention. HIV and HCV antibody testing were performed, and subject data (e.g., demographics, drug and sexual risk behavior, and history of HIV and HCV testing) were collected via audio computer-administered self-interview. Risk behavior during the previous three months was compared to self-reported anti-HCV serostatus. RESULTS Anti-HCV prevalence in this sample of young IDUs was 34.1%. Seventy-two percent of anti-HCV-positive and 46% of anti-HCV-negative IDUs in this sample were not aware of their HCV serostatus. Drug treatment or needle exchange use was associated with increased awareness of HCV serostatus. Anti-HCV-negative IDUs who knew their serostatus were less likely than those unaware of their status to inject with a syringe used by another IDU or to share cottons to filter drug solutions. Knowledge of one's positive anti-HCV status was not associated with safer injection practices. CONCLUSIONS Few anti-HCV-positive IDUs in this study were aware of their serostatus. Expanded availability of HCV screening with high quality counseling is clearly needed for this population to promote the health of chronically HCV-infected IDUs and to decrease risk among injectors susceptible to acquiring or transmitting HCV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly Hagan
- Center for Drug Use and HIV Research, National Development and Research Institutes, 8th Fl, 71 West 23rd St., NY, NY 10010, USA.
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Eyzaguirre LM, Brouwer KC, Nadai Y, Patterson TL, Ramos R, Cruz MF, Orozovich P, Strathdee S, Carr JK. First Molecular surveillance report of HIV in injecting drug users and female sex workers in Mexico. Retrovirology 2006. [PMCID: PMC1716903 DOI: 10.1186/1742-4690-3-s1-p79] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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Lampinen T, Chan K, Anema A, Miller M, Schilder A, Schechter M, Hogg R, Strathdee S. Incidence and Risk Factors for Sexual Orientation-Related Physical Assault of Young Men Who have Sex with Men. Am J Epidemiol 2006. [DOI: 10.1093/aje/163.suppl_11.s232-d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Kerr T, Stoltz JA, Strathdee S, Li K, Hogg RS, Montaner JS, Wood E. The impact of sex partners' HIV status on HIV seroconversion in a prospective cohort of injection drug users. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2006; 41:119-23. [PMID: 16340484 DOI: 10.1097/01.qai.0000179429.57531.47] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN The identification of individuals at highest risk of HIV infection is critical for targeting prevention strategies. We evaluated the HIV status of the sex partners of injection drug users (IDUs) and rates of subsequent HIV seroconversion among a prospective cohort study of IDUs. METHODS We performed an analysis of the time to HIV infection among baseline HIV-negative IDUs enrolled in the Vancouver Injection Drug Users Study. IDUs were stratified based on whether or not they reported having an HIV-positive sex partner. Kaplan-Meier methods were used to estimate cumulative HIV incidence rates, and Cox regression was used to determine adjusted relative hazards (RHs) for HIV seroconversion. RESULTS Of 1013 initially HIV-negative IDUs, 4.8% had an HIV-positive partner at baseline. After 18 months, the cumulative HIV incidence rate was significantly elevated among those who reported having an HIV-positive sex partner (23.4% vs. 8.1%; log-rank P < 0.001). In a Cox regression model adjusting for all variables that were associated with the time to HIV infection in univariate analyses, including drug use characteristics, having an HIV-positive sex partner (RH = 2.42 [95% confidence interval: 1.30 to 4.60]; P = 0.005) remained independently associated with time to HIV seroconversion. CONCLUSIONS Having an HIV-positive sex partner was strongly and independently associated with seroconversion after adjustment for risk factors related to drug use. Our findings may aid public health workers in their efforts to identify IDUs who should be targeted with education and prevention efforts and indicate the need for ongoing development of prevention interventions for IDU sex partners who are HIV discordant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Kerr
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, Canada.
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Abstract
Context There is considerable concern about the spread of HIV disease among Aboriginal peoples in British Columbia. Objective To estimate the number of Aboriginal British Columbians infected with HIV. Design and setting A population-based analysis of Aboriginal men and women in British Columbia, Canada from 1980 to 2001. Participants Epidemic curves were fit for gay and bisexual men, injection drug users, men and women aged 15 to 49 years and persons over 50 years of age. Main outcome measures HIV prevalence for the total Aboriginal population was modeled using the UNAIDS/WHO Estimation and Projection Package (EPP). Monte Carlo simulation was used to estimate potential number infected for select transmission group in 2001. Results A total of 170,025 Aboriginals resided in British Columbia in 2001, of whom 69% were 15 years and older. Of these 1,691 (range 1,479 – 1,955) men and women aged 15 years and over were living with HIV with overall prevalence ranging from 1.26% to 1.66%. The majority of the persons infected were men. Injection drug users (range 1,202 – 1,744) and gay and bisexual men (range 145, 232) contributed the greatest number of infections. Few persons infected were from low risk populations. Conclusion More than 1 in every 100 Aboriginals aged 15 years and over was living with HIV in 2001. Culturally appropriate approaches are needed to tailor effective HIV interventions to this community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert S Hogg
- BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
- Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Health Care and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Steffanie Strathdee
- Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Division of International Health, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, California
| | | | - Evan Wood
- BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
- Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Robert Remis
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, University of Toronto, Canada
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Santibanez SS, Garfein RS, Swartzendruber A, Kerndt PR, Morse E, Ompad D, Strathdee S, Williams IT, Friedman SR, Ouellet LJ. Prevalence and correlates of crack-cocaine injection among young injection drug users in the United States, 1997-1999. Drug Alcohol Depend 2005; 77:227-33. [PMID: 15734222 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2004.08.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2003] [Revised: 08/09/2004] [Accepted: 08/13/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We estimated prevalence and identified correlates of crack-cocaine injection among young injection drug users in the United States. METHODS We analyzed data from the second Collaborative Injection Drug Users Study (CIDUS II), a 1997-1999 cohort study of 18-30-year-old, street-recruited injection drug users from six US cities. RESULTS Crack-cocaine injection was reported by 329 (15%) of 2198 participants. Prevalence varied considerably by site (range, 1.5-28.0%). No participants injected only crack-cocaine. At four sites where crack-cocaine injection prevalence was greater than 10%, recent (past 6 months) crack-cocaine injection was correlated with recent daily injection and sharing of syringes, equipment, and drug solution. Lifetime crack-cocaine injection was correlated with using shooting galleries, initiating others into drug injection, and having serologic evidence of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infection. CONCLUSIONS Crack-cocaine injection may be a marker for high-risk behaviors that can be used to direct efforts to prevent HIV and other blood-borne viral infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott S Santibanez
- Division of HIV/AIDS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
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Gardner LI, Metsch LR, Anderson-Mahoney P, Loughlin AM, del Rio C, Strathdee S, Sansom SL, Siegal HA, Greenberg AE, Holmberg SD. Efficacy of a brief case management intervention to link recently diagnosed HIV-infected persons to care. AIDS 2005; 19:423-31. [PMID: 15750396 DOI: 10.1097/01.aids.0000161772.51900.eb] [Citation(s) in RCA: 373] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The Antiretroviral Treatment Access Study (ARTAS) assessed a case management intervention to improve linkage to care for persons recently receiving an HIV diagnosis. METHODS Participants were recently diagnosed HIV-infected persons in Atlanta, Baltimore, Los Angeles and Miami. They were randomized to either standard of care (SOC) passive referral or case management (CM) for linkage to nearby HIV clinics. The SOC arm received information about HIV and local care resources; the CM intervention arm included up to five contacts with a case manager over a 90-day period. The outcome measure was self-reported attendance at an HIV care clinic at least twice over a 12-month period. RESULTS A higher proportion of the 136 case-managed participants than the 137 SOC participants visited an HIV clinician at least once within 6 months [78 versus 60%; adjusted relative risk (RR(adj)), 1.36; P = 0.0005) and at least twice within 12 months (64 versus 49%; RR(adj), 1.41; P = 0.006). Individuals older than 40 years, Hispanic participants, individuals enrolled within 6 months of an HIV-seropositive test result and participants without recent crack cocaine use were all significantly more likely to have made two visits to an HIV care provider. We estimate the cost of such case management to be 600-1200 US dollars per client. CONCLUSION A brief intervention by a case manager was associated with a significantly higher rate of successful linkage to HIV care. Brief case management is an affordable and effective resource that can be offered to HIV-infected clients soon after their HIV diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lytt I Gardner
- Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA.
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Cox AL, Netski DM, Mosbruger T, Sherman SG, Strathdee S, Ompad D, Vlahov D, Chien D, Shyamala V, Ray SC, Thomas DL. Prospective evaluation of community-acquired acute-phase hepatitis C virus infection. Clin Infect Dis 2005; 40:951-8. [PMID: 15824985 DOI: 10.1086/428578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 167] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2004] [Accepted: 11/16/2004] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND More than two-thirds of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in Western countries are caused by injection drug use, but prospective clinical data regarding the most common mode of HCV acquisition are rare, in part because acute-phase HCV infection is usually asymptomatic. METHODS To characterize acute-phase HCV infection, 179 HCV antibody-negative injection drug users were prospectively evaluated; 62 (34%) of these patients had seroconverted. Twenty of the participants who seroconverted had long-term follow-up with consistent monthly sampling before and after seroconversion, allowing detailed study. RESULTS The first indication of HCV infection was the presence of HCV RNA in serum, which preceded elevation of alanine transaminase levels and total bilirubin levels to > or =2 times baseline in 45% and 77% of patients, respectively. No subjects had jaundice. The median time from initial viremia to seroconversion was 36 days (range, 32-46 days). In one instance, viremia was detected 434 days before seroconversion. However, in no other case was HCV RNA detected >63 days before seroconversion. In subjects with viral persistence, a stable level of HCV RNA in the blood was noted in some subjects within 60 days after the initial detection of viremia, but in others, it was not apparent until >1 year later. In subjects with long-term viral clearance, HCV became persistently undetectable as early as 94 and as late as 620 days after initial viremia. CONCLUSIONS These data underscore the importance of nucleic acid screening of blood donations to prevent HCV transmission and of long-term follow-up to ascertain whether there is viral persistence, at least among injection drug users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea L Cox
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
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Karacki PS, Gao X, Thio CL, Thomas DL, Goedert JJ, Vlahov D, Kaslow RA, Strathdee S, Hilgartner MW, O'Brien SJ, Carrington M. MICA and recovery from hepatitis C virus and hepatitis B virus infections. Genes Immun 2005; 5:261-6. [PMID: 15029237 DOI: 10.1038/sj.gene.6364065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The polymorphic MHC class I chain-related A (MICA) gene encodes a ligand that has different binding affinities for the NKG2D activating receptor of CD8+ T cells and natural killer (NK) cells. We hypothesized that MICA heterogeneity would affect recovery from hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections. To test the hypothesis, we initially typed known MICA polymorphisms for 228 persons who cleared HCV infection and 442 persons with persistent hepatitis C matched on other factors affecting viral persistence. Although MICA(*)015 was detected more than two-fold more often in persons with viral clearance (odds ratio 0.36, 95% confidence interval=0.19, 0.80), it occurred in fewer than 5% of the study population. In a similar analysis of 442 persons with chronic hepatitis B and 768 matched controls who recovered, MICA(*)015 was detected in 2.0% of persons with chronic hepatitis B and only 0.9% of controls. No significant associations were detected with other MICA polymorphisms. While further investigation may reveal a structural basis of the MICA(*)015 associations, these data provide little support for the hypothesis that differential distribution of MICA alleles substantially affects recovery from HCV and HBV infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- P S Karacki
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA
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Loughlin A, Metsch L, Gardner L, Anderson-Mahoney P, Barrigan M, Strathdee S. Provider barriers to prescribing HAART to medically-eligible HIV-infected drug users. AIDS Care 2004; 16:485-500. [PMID: 15203416 DOI: 10.1080/09540120410001683411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
We aimed to identify factors associated with a medical provider's resistance to prescribing HAART to medically-eligible HIV-infected illicit drug users. In four US cities, a mailed, self-administered survey queried 420 HIV care providers about patients' characteristics and barriers to care. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using logistic regression. Providers identified as resistant to prescribing HAART to medically-eligible HIV-infected illicit drug users were more likely to be non-physicians (AOR=1.89, 95% CI: 1.04-3.46), to work in populations with a high prevalence of both mental illness (AOR=2.42; 95% CI: 1.11-5.26) and injection drug use (AOR=1.82 95% CI: 1.02-3.25) and were deterred from prescribing HAART by patients' limited ability to keep appointments, (AOR=3.19; 95% CI: 1.39-7.37), alcoholism (AOR=1.92; 95% CI: 1.04-3.55) and homelessness (AOR=1.81; 95% CI: 1.07-3.06). Providers working in populations with a high injection drug use prevalence commonly reported higher prevalence of non-injection drug use, alcohol problems and mental illness, and higher antiretroviral therapy refusal rates within their patient populations. Our findings underscore the challenges to providers who treat HIV-infected drug users and suggest that their care and treatment would benefit from on-site drug treatment, mental health and social services.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Loughlin
- Boston University School of Medicine, Maxwell Finland Laboratories, MA 02118, USA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steffanie Strathdee
- Division of International and Cross Cultural Medicine, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, San Diego, California, USA
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Abstract
BACKGROUND MCP-1 (CCL2), MCP-3 (CCL7), and eotaxin (CCL11) are genes for CC chemokines clustered on the long arm of chromosome 17. Previous studies have implicated these chemokines in monocyte recruitment, viral replication, and anti-HIV cytotoxic T cell responses. An epidemiological analysis identified genetic variants influencing HIV-1 transmission and disease progression. METHODS Genomic DNA from over 3000 participants enrolled in five natural history cohorts in the United States were analyzed. Nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) covering 33 kb containing these three genes were genotyped using the polymerase chain reaction. Distortions in allele, genotype, and haplotype frequencies were assessed with respect to HIV-1 transmission and rates of disease progression using categorical and survival analyses. RESULTS Extensive linkage disequilibrium was observed. Three SNP (-2136T located in the MCP-1 promoter region, 767G in intron 1 of MCP-1, and -1385A in the Eotaxin promoter) were nearly always found together on a 31 kb haplotype (H7) containing the three genes. Frequencies of the three variants and the H7 haplotype were significantly elevated (odds ratio, 0.6; P = 0.005-0.01) in uninfected European-Americans repeatedly exposed to HIV-1 through high-risk sexual behavior or contaminated blood products. CONCLUSIONS Although the extensive linkage disequilibrium precludes positive identification of the causal variant, the results suggest that genetic variation in the H7 region influences susceptibility to HIV-1 infection. Since these chemokines do not bind the primary HIV-1 coreceptors CCR5 or CXCR4, the observed influence on transmission may result from activation of the immune system in response to infection rather than receptor blockage.
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Affiliation(s)
- William S Modi
- SAIC Frederick and the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland, USA
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES Laws limiting access to sterile syringes impede the public health goal that injection drug users (IDUs) use a new, sterile syringe for every injection to reduce blood-borne disease transmission. We sought to determine the legality of selling or giving syringes to IDUs to prevent disease. DESIGN We used standard legal research methods to identify and analyze laws and regulations influencing the distribution of syringes in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. RESULTS A total of 51 jurisdictions had drug paraphernalia laws; 14 had syringe prescription laws or regulations; 11 required purchasers to show identification; 13 had legislation authorizing syringe exchange programs (SEPs). Since the beginning of the human immunodeficiency virus epidemic, 11 states have fully or partially deregulated syringe sales. Nonprescription retail syringe sales to IDUs for disease prevention purposes are clearly legal in 20 states, and have a reasonable claim to legality in 22 more. Sales to IDUs with a prescription are clearly illegal in only 3 jurisdictions. SEPs can operate legally in at least 21 states. CONCLUSION Syringe access laws in most states may reasonably be interpreted to allow pharmacists to sell syringes to IDUs to prevent disease. In practice, however, unclear laws and pharmacist uncertainty as to their interpretation may constitute continuing barriers to syringe access for IDUs. A comprehensive public policy of ensuring syringe access for IDUs requires eliminating legal barriers to the sale, possession, and disposal of syringes, and educating pharmacists and law enforcement officials about the legality and public health importance of sterile syringe access.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott Burris
- Temple University Beasley School of Law, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA.
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Lai S, Lai H, Meng Q, Tong W, Vlahov D, Celentano D, Strathdee S, Nelson K, Fishman EK, Lima JAC. Effect of cocaine use on coronary calcium among black adults in Baltimore, Maryland. Am J Cardiol 2002; 90:326-8. [PMID: 12127624 DOI: 10.1016/s0002-9149(02)02475-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shenghan Lai
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA.
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Meng Q, Lima JAC, Lai H, Vlahov D, Celentano DD, Strathdee S, Nelson KE, Tong W, Lai S. Use of HIV protease inhibitors is associated with left ventricular morphologic changes and diastolic dysfunction. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2002; 30:306-10. [PMID: 12131567 DOI: 10.1097/00126334-200207010-00006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
HIV protease inhibitor (PI) therapy may be associated with cardiac and vascular complications. We assessed the effects of PIs on cardiac function and structure. M-mode, cross-sectional, and Doppler echocardiography were performed in 98 consecutive black adults aged 25 to 45 years with HIV infection who were receiving antiretroviral therapy. Forty-five (56.1%) took PIs (mean duration of PI use: 29.6 +/- 12.2 months). No significant differences between the PI and non-PI groups were found in left ventricular (LV) systolic function and cardiac valve regurgitation. Those who took PIs had a significantly higher interventricular septum thickness (1.1 +/- 0.3 vs. 1.0 +/- 0.2 cm; p =.049), LV posterior wall thickness (1.1 +/- 0.2 vs. 1.0 +/- 0.2; p =.027), and lower ratio of early peak velocity (E wave) to late peak velocity (A wave) (E/A ratio) (1.36 +/- 0.30 vs. 1.53 +/- 0.31; p =.023) than did those who did not take PIs. Linear regression analyses indicated that posterior wall thickness, septum thickness, left atrial dimension, LV mass, and E/A ratios were significantly associated with the log-transformed duration of PI therapy. Despite the proven benefits of PIs in patients with HIV infection, this report demonstrates an association between continued PI intake and LV hypertrophy that should be known and taken into consideration in the analysis of cardiac structure and function in patients with HIV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingyi Meng
- Department of Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA
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