HIV and hepatitis C risk among Tajik migrant workers who inject drugs in Moscow

Abstract

Background. The HIV epidemic in Eastern Europe and Central Asia continues to grow with most infections occurring in high-risk groups including people who inject drugs and their sexual partners. Labor migrants from this region who inject drugs while in Russia are at especially high HIV risk. Methods. We recruited 420 male Tajik migrant workers who inject drugs in Moscow for a peer-education HIV prevention intervention trial. Participants were interviewed about their sex and drug use behavior and tested for HIV and hepatitis C prior to the intervention. Results. Over half of the men reported injecting with a previously used syringe in the past month. Many men reported condomless sex (42%), multiple sex partners (30%), and sex with sex workers (42%). Only 17% had ever been tested for HIV. Despite substantial risk behavior, prevalence rates of HIV (6.8%) and HCV (2.9%) although elevated were lower than expected when compared to estimates of prevalence among PWID at the national level in Tajikistan. Risk behavior in diaspora varied across the men’s regional area of origin in Tajikistan and occupation in Moscow with HIV prevalence rates highest among those working at the bazaars. Conclusion. Tajik male migrants who inject drugs in Moscow are at heightened risk for HIV and hepatitis C. Evidence-based prevention approaches and messaging that specifically address the drug- and sex-related risk behavior of migrants from different parts of Tajikistan, employment sectors within the destination city, and socio-demographic background are needed.

Sexual health challenges in migrant, immigrant, and displaced populations 2022–2023

“…In a qualitative study among Tajik laborers in Moscow who inject drugs, higher self-perceived HIV risk predicted less risky sexual partnering, while societal isolation and police-enacted stigma had the opposite effect. Self-perceived risk of HIV had, however, no significant impact on condom use, emphasizing the need for risk awareness education that addresses both drug and sex-related behaviours [45,46]. Irregular condom use was found in a 2023 study of Venezuelan sex workers in Colombia.…”

Changes in risk behaviour following a network peer education intervention for HIV prevention among male Tajik migrants who inject drugs in Moscow: a cluster‐randomized controlled trial

“…We adapted an existing health education intervention (Healthy Living) previously developed to serve as a control intervention to create the “Targeted Application of Network and Social Intervention on Health Assistance for Tajiks” (TANSIHAT) as an equal‐time health education intervention focusing on other relevant health conditions such as tuberculosis (TB) and cardiovascular disease but not HIV. In both conditions, participants were trained as PEs and referred for HIV counselling and testing at the Moscow HIV Prevention Center [14]. Risk behaviour was assessed at baseline and at 3‐month intervals during 1 year of follow‐up.…”