A study conducted
by researchers at the University of California, San
Francisco’s AIDS Health Project, the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, and the San Francisco
Department of Public Health confirms that crystal meth
use boosts HIV infection risks, with users three times
more likely to become infected than nonusers, the San
Francisco Chronicle reports. The study focused
on 3,000 San Francisco residents who took HIV antibody tests
in 2000 and 2001. About 6% of those reporting meth use
tested positive for HIV infection; nonusers had a 2%
HIV infection rate, according to the study.
Researchers say
meth use boosts the odds of HIV infection by lowering
inhibitions and encouraging risky sex with multiple
partners.
Jeffrey Klausner,
director of STD control for the San Francisco health
department and lead author of the study, which appears in
the journal AIDS, says the research shows that it is
important for HIV and STD prevention efforts to include meth
prevention and treatment components.
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