Given the continued spread of HIV/AIDS among injecting drug users (IDU) in many countries, the Australian experience of continuing limited spread is most unusual by international standards.
It is three years since the last large monitoring study of IDUs (ANAIDUS), and a further study, investigating knowledge, attitudes, risk behaviour and HIV prevalence, was needed to provide a more recent assessment of seroprevalence and risk behaviour, which could be compared to ANAIDUS. This paper describes the objectives and methodology of the Commonwealth funded Australian Study of HIV and Injecting Drug Use (ASHIDU), undertaken in NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia to provide the above comparisons, evaluate whether further risk reduction has occurred, and to develop an instrument which could be used for continued surveillance of HIV risk behaviour and seroprevalence. ASHIDU is the first study in Australia to chart the prevalence of hepatitis C in multiple sites.
The NCRPDA provided the national co-ordination for the ASHIDU study. Data collection and analysis has been completed and the first ASHIDU report will be released in July 1995.