Abbreviations: (ACIP) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, (anti-HBc) total antibody to hepatitis B core antigen, (BRFSS) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, (CDC) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CI) confidence interval, (EIP) Emerging Infections Program, (HBsAg) hepatitis B surface antigen, (HBV) hepatitis B virus, (HepB) hepatitis b vaccine, (HIV) human immunodeficiency virus, (HIVRISK) human immunodeficiency virus infection risk, (IDU) injection drug use, (LTC) long-term care, (MSM) male sex with another male,

San Diego, California shares the world's busiest land border crossing with Tijuana, Mexico-a city where 95 % of injection drug users (IDUs) test hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody-positive. Yet, little is known about the prevalence and risk behaviors for HCVamong IDUs in San Diego. In 2009-2010 IDUs in San Diego County completed a risk assessment interview and serologic testing for HCV and HIV infection. Recruitment involved respondent-driven sampling, venue-based sampling at a syringe exchange program, and convenience sampling. Correlates of HCV infection were identified by multivariable logistic regression. Among 510 current IDUs, 26.9 % (95 % CI 23.0-30.7 %) and 4.2 % (95 % CI 2.4-5.9 %) had been infected with HCVand HIV, respectively. Overall, median age was 28 years; 74 % were male; 60 % white and 29 % Hispanic; and 96 % were born in the U.S. Median years of injecting was 6; 41 % injected daily; 60 % injected heroin most often; 49 % receptively shared syringes and 68 % shared other injection paraphernalia; and only 22 % reported always using new syringes in the past 3 months. Two thirds had ever traveled to Mexico and 19 % injected in Mexico. HCV infection was independently associated with sharing injection paraphernalia (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]= 1.69) and SEP use (AOR=2.17) in the previous 3 months, lifetime history of drug overdose (AOR=2.66), and increased years of injecting (AOR=2.82, all P values G0.05). Controlling for recruitment method did not alter results. HCV infection prevalence among IDUs in San Diego was modest compared to other US cities and much lower than Tijuana. Given that known individual-level HCV risk factors were common in San Diego, the city's lower HCV prevalence might be due to differences in social and structural factors between the cities.

Female exotic dancers are an important, yet understudied group of women who may engage in drug- and sex-related HIV/STI risk behaviors through their work. The study objective was to identify co-occurring indicators of vulnerability (e.g., housing, income, incarceration) associated with HIV/STI risk behavior among female exotic dancers in Baltimore, Maryland. Surveys administered during July 2008–February 2009 captured socio-demographic characteristics, drug use, and sexual practices among dancers (N=101) aged ≥18 years. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between vulnerability and risk behavior. Dancers with a high vulnerability score (i.e., 2 or more indicators) were more likely to report sex exchange (AOR: 10.7, 95% CIs: 2.9, 39.9) and multiple sex partnerships (AOR: 6.4, 95% CIs: 2.3, 18.3), controlling for demographics and drug use, compared to their less vulnerable counterparts. Findings point to primacy of macro-level factors that need to be addressed in HIV/STI prevention efforts targeting this and other high-risk populations.

Background Sex partner meeting places may be important locales to access men who have sex with men (MSM) and implement targeted human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) control strategies. These locales may change over time, but temporal evaluations have not been performed. Methods The objectives of this study were to describe the frequency of report of MSM sex partner meeting places over time, and to compare frequently reported meeting places in the past five years and past year among newly HIV diagnosed MSM in Baltimore City, Maryland. Public health HIV surveillance data including partner services information was obtained for this study from the Baltimore City Health Department from May 2009 to June 2014. Results 869 sex partner meeting places were reported, including 306 unique places. Bars/clubs (31%) and internet-based sites (38%) were the most frequently reported meeting place types. Over the five year period, the percentage of bars/clubs decreased over time and the percentage of internet-based sites increased over time. Among bars/clubs, 4/5 of those most frequently reported in the past five years were also most frequently reported in the most recent year. Among internet-based sites, 3/5 of those most frequently reported in the past five years were also in the top five most frequently reported in the past year. Conclusion This study provides a richer understanding of sex partner meeting places reported by MSM over time and information to health departments on types of places to access a population at high risk for HIV transmission.