Evaluation of AIDS prevention with risk-reducing measures among drug users in Liuzhou city

Objective To analyze the state of drug users in Liuzhou city,Guangxi province,and to prevent AIDS spreading with the use of clean syringes and methadone among drugusers.Methods Health education was held in communities to let AIDS patients voluntarily consult and receive medical test,methadone treatment and use of clear syringes.And the public safety authority coope rated with dug rehabilitation center to instruct the drug users.Results By the end of 2008,there were 6 918 durg users in Liuzhou and only 1 097 of them kept methadone treatment,584 kept using other medicine.46.76% of them stopped using drugs.A total of 1 180 609 syringes were distributed and 1 091 846(92.48%)were returned for exchange.Orerall 2 500 drug users were included in the program accounting for 36.14% of drug users after the implementation of the measures.The sharing of syringe dropped and the AIDS infection rate decreaed from 24.88% in 2000 to 13.10% in 2008 among the drug users.Conclusion The methadone treatment and use of clear syringe are help ful for AIDS prevention and the decrease of high risk behavior of HIV infection among drug users.