Does anyone have any recent data on the prevalence of hepatitis C among injecting drugs users in Myanmar / Burma. The more we learn about HCV and HIV coinfections the more complex it becomes. For instance, hepatitis C infection may influence the response to antiretroviral therapy for HIV.

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In parts of Southeast Asia and Central Europe, the scaleup of HIV treatment takes place within overlapping epidemics of TB and hepatitis C (HCV), particularly in populations where injection drug use and poverty are widespread. The presence of all three infections creates conditions for a perfect storm in medical management, as treatments for TB and HIV each affect the liver already weakened by HVC. In the southwest provinces and some areas of central China, for example, many patients present with all three infections, leading to unique challenges in their medical care. The effects of co-infection also ripple across the health system influencing the selection of ARV regimens and requiring closer monitoring for drug toxicities as well as training approaches that emphasize clinical judgment over standardized protocols. An estimated 650,000 persons are living with HIV infection in China. The largest proportion of these, 44.4 percent, was infected through injection drug use (IDU), and another 10.6 percent infected by transmission through unsafe blood collection and transfusion practices. The epidemic also has spread among sex workers, some of whom are also at risk due to IDU. The HIV epidemic among injection drug users is most severe in the southwestern region bordering the "Golden Triangle" where Burma, Laos and Thailand come together and where annual heroin production and trafficking is very high ...

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