This ICAAP abstract looks interesting. The paper is being edited.
Are there any harm reduction measures for people who come into Myanmar to inject?
[him] moderator
******************************
TuPA075 Crossing Over: Drug Network Differences Among Chinese MMT Clients Along the Myanmar Border
Chyvette Williams,Wei Liu,Judith Levy
University of Illinois at Chicago
Background: Ruili City in Yunnan Province, China sits at the eastern border of Myanmar along heroin trafficking routes between the two countries. Populations on both sides of the border along the drug corridor experience high rates of HIV. This study examines border differences in network and injection characteristics of methadone maintenance clients at a Ruili clinic.
Methods: Data are from 298 clients enrolled in the Ruili Methadone Treatment Center. Clients were interviewed using a structured questionnaire that asked about drug use, HIV/AIDS knowledge, treatment motivation, and social and drug networks. Chi-square tests and regression analyses were conducted.
Results: While 94% of study clients were born in China, 30% reported injecting in Myanmar. Clients who reported injecting drugs mostly in China tended to have somewhat larger drug networks (?2=12.0, p<0.1). Compared to those who usually inject in China with their drug partners, networks that inject in Myanmar are less likely to share equipment (B=-2.13, CI: -4.17, -.10). Drug networks that inject equally in both places are more likely to share equipment (B=1.44, CI: 0.170, 2.72).
Conclusion: Results indicate some added degree of risk among drug networks who inject mainly in China and those who "border jump" equally between China and Myanmar.
