Reports on HIV/AIDS: 1990

APRIL 27, 1990, MMWR, Vol. 39, No. 16, pp. 273-276
Twenty percent of IVDUs reported always using new injection equipment (Table 2).
Of those sharing injection equipment, 14% always cleaned the equipment with bleach
before injecting. Sixty percent of IVDUs who reused drug-injection equipment
cleaned the equipment with bleach at least some of the time.
In general, IVDUs reported "never using" a condom during sexual activity,
although the prevalence of condom use varied by type of sexual activity (Table 3).
Almost half of both male and female IVDUs reported having two or more sex partners
during the 6 months before recruitment.
TABLE 1. Relationship of partners with whom 16,998 intravenous-drug users not in
drug treatment shared drug-injection equipment during the 6 months before interview - selected sites, 1987-1989
Frequency of sharing
Relationship of partner Always >50% time 50% time <50% time Never Unknown
Friend/Spouse/Acquaintance 17% 22% 16% 24% 21% 1%
Stranger 1% 1% 2% 16% 79% 1%
TABLE 2. Percentage of 16,998 intravenous-drug users not in drug treatment who
reported using new drug-injection equipment or cleaning used equipment during the
6 months before interview - selected sites, 1987-1989
Frequency
No.
Behavior respondents Always >50% time 50% time <50% time Never Unknown
Used new needle 16,998 20% 38% 20% 18% 3% 1%
Cleaned needle* 13,528t 63% 14% 8% 8% 6% 1%
Used bleach' 12,6791 14% 16% 11% 20% 38% 2%
*Respondents could report cleaning needles by any of several methods and still be consistent
with an "always" response.
tExcludes those who reported always using a new needle.
5A subset of those who cleaned needles.
'Excludes those who reported never cleaning their drug-injection equipment.
TABLE 3. Reported use of latex condoms during the 6 months before interview by
16,998 intravenous-drug users not in drug treatment - selected sites, 1987-1989
No. Use of condoms
Gender/Sexual behavior respondents* Always Sometimes Never
Men
Vaginal insertive 10,270 10% 20% 70%
Oral insertive 7,128 8% 7% 85%
Oral receptive 283 18% 19% 63%
Anal insertive 2,469 13% 14% 73%
Homosexual/Bisexual 404 20% 28% 53%
Heterosexual 2,065 11% 11% 78%
Anal receptive 234 29% 23% 48%
Women
Vaginal receptive 3,635 14% 29% 57%
Oral receptive 2,403 15% 19% 66%
Anal receptive 566 16% 16% 68%
*Respondents may practice more than one type of sexual behavior and are thus counted in each
appropriate sexual-behavior category.

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