UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 9, Page 3
October 27, 1994
Among prisoners; Professor examines HIV-drug use relationship

     Delaware may rank 49th among the 50 states in terms of size, but
it's seventh in the nation in the number of newly reported AIDS cases
per 100,000 population, according to a recent report by James A.
Inciardi, professor of criminal justice and director of the
University's Center for Drug and Alcohol Abuse.
     Other statistics show that the number of injection drug users per
100,000 population is almost twice that of other states, and that 43.4
percent (well over the national rate of 30 per cent) of the new AIDS
cases were injection drug users, including men who both have sex with
men and inject drugs. The findings indicate that injection drug use is
a significant factor in the spread of AIDS in the state, according to
Inciardi.
     Recently, Inciardi published an article on the relationship
between HIV infection and injection drug use, entitled "HIV Infection
among Delaware Prison Releasees" in The Prison Journal. Co-authors are
Dorothy Lockwood, Steven S. Martin, Anne E. Pottieger and Frank R.
Scarpitti.
     Delaware does not have a law requiring that prison inmates be
tested for HIV infection and does not routinely test prisoners,
according to Inciardi. The study was carried out on 679 inmates who
agreed to be tested for HIV infection and who were about to be
released on parole or to work-release programs.
     Lengthy interviews also were conducted on drug use, sexual
activities, criminal behavior, drug treatment experiences and other
areas. The study targeted injection drug users and users of other
illegal drugs who are at risk for HIV infection through sex-for-drugs,
prostitution or sexual contacts with injection drug users.
     Of those tested, Inciardi said, 16 percent of the women tested
positive versus 9 percent of the men. Positive rates were highest
among African Americans and Hispanics, persons over the age of 35 and
injection drug users. Of the 343 of the group who had an injection
drug history, 18 percent tested HIV positive. Of the 336 who had no
injection drug history, only 2 percent tested positive.
     The number of sexual partners did not seem to be a significant
factor in becoming infected. But, a high frequency of sex with
injection drug users and other illegal drug users, who exchange sex
for drugs, was an important factor in HIV infection, according to
Inciardi.
     The incidence of HIV/AIDS infection also is more prevalent among
injection drug users who share or rent used needles and other
paraphernalia. For example, those who never use shared needles in a
sampling of 343 injection drug users have a 13 percent infection rate,
while those who occasionally rent used needles have a 31 percent
infection rate and those who regularly rent used needles have a 36
percent infection rate.
     A follow-up questionaire and blood testing of the individuals in
the study will be carried out periodically in the future.
     In the general population, the majority of individuals who
contract AIDS are men who have sex with men, but this segment of the
population is not generally incarcerated for criminal activity.
Injection drug and other drug users have a much higher incarceration
rate and their proportion among all known AIDS cases is increasing.
Although the sampling was limited to prison releasees, the data
reflect "the prominent roles that prisoners and drug-using prisoners
especially, play in the AIDS epidemic," Inciardi concluded in his
article.
                                                   -Sue Swyers Moncure