Possible HIV epidemic in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 29 (UPI) — A U.S. researcher working in Kabul, Afghanistan, warns increasing injection drug use and accompanying high-risk behaviors could lead to an HIV epidemic.

Our findings suggest that interventions to reduce high-risk behaviors among injection drug users are urgently needed in Afghanistan, says Dr. Catherine S. Todd, of the University of California, San Diego. The window of opportunity is rapidly closing to avert an HIV epidemic among Afghan injection drug users.

The prevalence of infection with HIV was calculated at about 3 percent, while 38 percent of the respondents tested positive for Hepatitis C infection. The high prevalence of hepatitis C may potentially foreshadow an HIV epidemic because the infections share common risk factors.read more