The prevalence and risk behaviours associated with the transmission of blood‐borne viruses among ethnic‐Vietnamese injecting drug users

Markers and risk factors for HCV, HBV and HIV in a network of injecting drug users in Melbourne, Australia

“…2e4 Some subgroups of IDU, such as those who have a prison history or those born in a high prevalence country, are known to be at even higher risk of BBV and increased risk is also associated with certain injecting behaviours, such as sharing and reusing needles and syringes. 2,3,5,6 We have previously reported on the epidemiology of HCV in an IDU network active in the City of Maribyrnong, an inner-suburban municipality of Melbourne (Australia) and described the prevalence of and the risk behaviours associated with BBV transmission among ethnic-Vietnamese members of this network. 2,7,8 We recently commenced a longitudinal study of current IDU recruited from Maribyrnong and two other municipalities within greater Melbourne.…”

How do drug market changes affect characteristics of injecting initiation and subsequent patterns of drug use? Findings from a cohort of regular heroin and methamphetamine injectors in Melbourne, Australia

“…Country of birth was also significantly associated with first drug injected, with Australian-born participants twice as likely as those born overseas (most commonly Vietnam) to initiate injecting with a drug other than heroin. Given that heroin is commonly reported as the primary drug of injection among ethnic Vietnamese PWID (Dwyer, 2008;Hellard et al, 2006;Maher, Sargent, et al, 2001), and it has been shown that Vietnamese PWID have dense ethno-centric injecting networks (Aitken, Higgs, & Bowden, 2008;Louie, Krouskos, Gonzalez, & Crofts, 1998), this finding may reflect greater exposure to heroin than other drugs within these social networks.…”

Vietnamese-Australian heroin users’ perspectives on the role of the family in treatment

“…Of equal importance to the impetus for this particular study is research conducted with Vietnamese-Australian illicit drug users over the past decade (Hellard et al, 2006;Louie, Krouskos, Gonzalez, & Crofts, 1998;Maher et al, 2001). In comparison to other ethnic groups in Australia, including the dominant Anglo-Celtic/Saxon population, Vietnamese Australians are second only to indigenous Australians in the levels of drug-related harm experienced (Beyer & Reid, 2000).…”

“…In comparison to other ethnic groups in Australia, including the dominant Anglo-Celtic/Saxon population, Vietnamese Australians are second only to indigenous Australians in the levels of drug-related harm experienced (Beyer & Reid, 2000). There is also evidence of higher rates of blood-borne virus (BBV) infection (Hellard et al, 2006;Hocking, Higgs, Keenan, & Crofts, 2001), contact with the criminal justice system and incarceration (Beyer, Reid, & Crofts, 2001) and heroin-related mortality (Barr & Crofts, 1998). An unfortunate corollary to this has been a pattern of problematic access to treatment and support for heroin dependence where typically, Vietnamese Australians experience poorer treatment outcomes than their non-Vietnamese counterparts (Dunlop, 2006;Ezard, 1997).…”