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Virology research J 2017 Vol 1 Issue 2
Page 36
July 26-27, 2017 | Vancouver, Canada
WORLD CONFERENCE ON STDs, STIs & HIV/AIDS
allied
academies
Hongyun Fu
Eastern Virginia Medical School, USA
A tale of two cities - The trajectories of the dual epidemics of illicit drug use and
HIV/STIs in Kunming and Qingdao in contemporary China
Background:
Illicit Drug abuse has been inextricably linked
with the epidemics of HIV and other Sexually Transmitted
Infections (STIs).The mechanisms and magnitudes of
associations have varied over time and across different
populations and geographical areas. In China, the early stage
of the HIV epidemic was driven mainly by injecting drug use
(IDU) starting in the late 1980s in Southwest China bordering
the Golden Triangle – one of the three largest heroin
production sites in the world. Meanwhile, alarming rates of
synthetic drug use (e.g. methamphetamine, ketamine and
ecstasy) have been reported particularly among young adults
and sexual minority populations, coinciding with high co-
morbidity of mental health problems, risky sexual behaviors
and HIV/STIs. Using data from qualitative interviews with
key informants and other secondary resources in Kunming
and Qingdao in January/March 2017, this study compares
types and patterns of drug use and characteristics of drug
users. It also examined the social and environmental contexts
in which drug use was frequent to understand the driving
forces behind the dual epidemics of illicit drug use and HIV/
STIs in contemporary China.
Methods:
We first complied and reviewed existing
secondary data and published literature on drug use and
HIV/STIs in the two cities. Informed by the findings, we
designed semi-structured interview guidelines and recruited
a diverse sample of 60 key informants (30 respondents each
in Kunming and Qingdao), including local drug users (n=18)
or their family members (n=2), community rehabilitation
center doctors and social workers (n=14), local police (n=11),
and taxi drivers or other people who were familiar with local
drug use (n=15). Between December 2016 and February
2017, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were
conducted by trained researchers to talk about common
drugs used, characteristics of drug users, cultural beliefs and
norms related to drug use and sex, social and physical context
of drug use sites, and factors related to the variations in drug
use prevalence across communities.
Results:
Preliminary analyses revealed distinctive patterns
of drug use between the two cities. In Qingdao, crystal
methamphetamine is the singlemost prevalent drug,While in
Kunming, multiple drugs were raised, including heroin, Magu
and methamphetamine. Poly drug use is more prevalent, and
the use of synthetic drug is on the rise. In both cities, heroin
use, which was once the “symbol of fashion” in 1980s and
1990s, was now considered “dirty” and “out of date “, and is
used mainly in private by older drug users. Heroin users also
occasionally consumed synthetic drugs. Overall, the harm
of heroin use had been acknowledged by both the public
and drug users, while synthetic drugs were considered more
fashionable, or beneficial (help losing weight, be sensational,
stay energetic, release pressure, and enhance sexual
pleasures) and not (or less) addictive/harmful. In both cities,
drug use was more prevalent in low income communities
and neighborhoods with high concentration of transient
populations. Having family members or friends that used
drugs was frequently reported by drug users. The crackdown
of police did not seem to prevent/reduce drug use, rather, it
drove drug use underground, e.g. from public entertainment
venues to more hidden and mobile sites, for example, rental
rooms/apartments, private vehicles and secluded places
(e.g. suburbs or cemeteries).
Conclusions and Discussion:
Findings from this study
highlighted that group norms and beliefs towards certain
drugs, individuals’ social networks, and social contexts play
a significant role in shaping individual perceptions about
certain drugs and their choice to use drugs as well as the
health consequences associated with drug use.
Speaker Biography
Hongyun Fu is an Assistant Professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School Norfolk, VA,
USA
e:
fuh@evms.edu