Integrated Bio-Behavioral Survey among Male Injecting Drug Users in Pokhara Valley, Nepal: Round II - 2005

HIV transmission among drug users is associated with injecting drug use that involves the sharing of needles or syringes. Risky sexual behavior associated with drug use also contributes to the spread of HIV. Injecting drug users function as a “bridging population” for HIV transmission between a core HIV risk group, other high-risk groups, and the general population. The main objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence rate of HIV among injecting drug users (IDUs) and assess their risky behavior. The study was conducted in the Pokhara Valley. Three hundred male IDUs were sampled using the respondent-driven sampling (RDS) methodology.