Meth Use Triples HIV RiskAugust 17, 2005
Research Summary
"Crystal meth use is the newest and most important threat to the HIV epidemic in the United States," said Dr. James Dilley, director of the University of California San Francisco AIDS Health Project, releasing a report showing that meth users are three times more likely to contract HIV than nonusers.The San Francisco Chronicle reported Aug. 16 that researchers reviewed anonymous HIV tests from 2000 and 2001 and found that, of those who voluntarily disclosed that they used crystal methamphetamine, 6 percent were recently infected with HIV, compared to 2 percent of non meth users. Among those who said they used meth during sexual encounters, the HIV-infection rate was 8 percent.
While overall HIV rates are down in the U.S., public-health officials in cities like San Francisco have been reporting an increased association between crystal-meth use, high-risk sex, and HIV infection among gay and bisexual men.
"It is a complicated problem requiring a carefully planned response," Dilley said. "Having doctors, public-health officials, policymakers and, most importantly, community members working together is the only means of success.''
The research was reported in the Sept. 2, 2005 issue of the journal AIDS.
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