Abstract
Female sex workers (FSW) often have a disproportionately high prevalence of HIV infection and they, along with their clients,
are considered a core group contributing to the transmission of HIV in many countries. In 2010, females who reported having
vaginal/anal/oral sex in the last 6 months with a male in exchange for money or gifts, aged ≥15 years, and living in Mauritius
were recruited into a survey using respondent driven sampling. Consenting females (n = 299) completed a behavioral questionnaire
and provided venous blood for HIV, HCV and HBV testing. HIV seroprevalence among FSW was 28.9 % and 43.8 % were infected with
HCV; among HIV seropositive FSW, 88.2 % were also infected with HCV. Almost 40 % of FSW reported injecting drugs sometime
in their lives and 30.5 % of all FSW reported doing so in the previous 3 months. Among those who ever injected drugs, 82.5 %
did so in the past 3 months and among those 60 % reported injecting drugs at least once a day. Among FSW who ever injected
drugs, 17.5 % reported sharing a needle at last injection. Regression analyses found injection drug use behaviors to be positively
associated with HIV seroprevalence. These findings indicate that FSW, especially those who inject drugs, are at high risk
for HIV and HCV infection and transmission and illustrates the need for gender responsive HIV and injection drug use prevention
and treatment models that respond to the unique situations that affect this population.
are considered a core group contributing to the transmission of HIV in many countries. In 2010, females who reported having
vaginal/anal/oral sex in the last 6 months with a male in exchange for money or gifts, aged ≥15 years, and living in Mauritius
were recruited into a survey using respondent driven sampling. Consenting females (n = 299) completed a behavioral questionnaire
and provided venous blood for HIV, HCV and HBV testing. HIV seroprevalence among FSW was 28.9 % and 43.8 % were infected with
HCV; among HIV seropositive FSW, 88.2 % were also infected with HCV. Almost 40 % of FSW reported injecting drugs sometime
in their lives and 30.5 % of all FSW reported doing so in the previous 3 months. Among those who ever injected drugs, 82.5 %
did so in the past 3 months and among those 60 % reported injecting drugs at least once a day. Among FSW who ever injected
drugs, 17.5 % reported sharing a needle at last injection. Regression analyses found injection drug use behaviors to be positively
associated with HIV seroprevalence. These findings indicate that FSW, especially those who inject drugs, are at high risk
for HIV and HCV infection and transmission and illustrates the need for gender responsive HIV and injection drug use prevention
and treatment models that respond to the unique situations that affect this population.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Original Paper
- Pages 1-11
- DOI 10.1007/s10461-012-0278-y
- Authors
- Lisa Grazina Johnston, University of California, San Francisco, Global Health Sciences, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Sewraz Corceal, Ministry of Health and Quality of Life, Port Louis, Mauritius
- Journal AIDS and Behavior
- Online ISSN 1573-3254
- Print ISSN 1090-7165