Kathmandu, May 23

The rate of HIV prevalence is high among men who inject drugs compared to women in mid-western and far-western region.

According to National Center for AIDS and STD Control, which released Integrated Biological and Behavioral Surveillance report on people who inject drugs, 5.3 per cent male drug users in mid-western region and 3.3 per cent in western region were found to be living with HIV.

Likewise, 1.9 percent female drug users were found living with HIV in Pokhara.

Dr Tarun Paudel, director of National Center for AIDS and STD Control, said 2.2 per cent female sex workers and 0.45 per cent male migrant workers were living with HIV.

For the survey, 720 male migrant workers who returned from India were taken as sample for the study in Kaski, Palpa, Gulmi, Syanja, Kapilvastu, Banke, Surkhet, Kailali, Kanchanpur, Doti and Accham. Hepatitis B and C prevalence is also high among male drug users. While 2.7 per cent drug users were infected with hepatitis B and 23.7 per cent with hepatitis C, only 1.3 per cent females who injected drugs were infected with hepatitis B and 2.6 per cent by hepatitis C.