3rd International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis and Treatment Rio de Janeiro - July 24 - 27, 2005

IDENTIFYING PROXY INDICATORS FOR AN HIV PREVENTION AND HARM REDUCTION PROJECT IN CEBU CITY, PHILIPPINES

IAS Conf HIV Pathog Treat 2005 Jul 24-27;3rd: Abstract No. WePe10.4P08

Aquino C.¹, Jereza L.², Tac-an I.³, D'Agnes L.^1
1PATH Foundation Philippines, Inc., Makati, Philippines, ²University of Southern Philippines Foundation, Inc., Cebu, Philippines, ³Cebu City Health Office, Cebu, Philippines

INTRODUCTION: In 1996, a harm reduction project including a limited needle exchange program was introduced by the AIDS Surveillance and Education Project to prevent HIV transmission among injecting drug users. The link between injecting drug use and HIV epidemic in a low prevalence country is frequently misunderstood.

METHODS: The project operated in an economically depressed urban community known as a hub for sex work and drug use. A previous outbreak of cerebral malaria linked to needle-sharing among boarding students highlighted risks for HIV transmission. Over 1,000 IDUs were tested during 1996 – 2001 with a prevalence rate of >1% for HIV. Due to the low HIV prevalence, local executives remained complacent and support for interventions were limited. Testing for Hepatitis C was introduced as a proxy indicator for HIV risk.

RESULTS: After several rounds of HIV tests revealed low rate of HIV infection among IDUs in Kamagayan, Cebu (>1%), the local health office initiated testing for Hepatitis C in 2002 and found incidence rates of up to 80%. This raised the alarm among health and community leaders who realized the mode of transmission for Hepatitis C and HIV was similar. Local leaders were mobilized to disseminate information, distribute condoms and refer those with STIs and other infectious diseases to health officials. The village leader provided space where harm reduction education and limited needle-exchange activities are being implemented despite resistence from local police. NGO outreach workers serve as motivating agents creating a community-based support group and liaision with the police, health officials and other government agencies.

CONCLUSIONS: In low HIV prevalence settings, other proxy measures for HIV risk are needed to convince local leaders of threats associated with risky injecting practices, and to help create a supportive environment for improved HIV and consequently, Hepatitis C, prevention and control.

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Prevention | WePe10.4P08 | Carmina Aquino
Harm Reduction and IDU-Related Strategies

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