Amphetamine-type stimulant use and HIV/STI risk behaviour among young female sex workers in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

BACKGROUND: Use of amphetamine-type substances (ATS) has been linked to increased risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI) worldwide. In Cambodia, recent ATS use is independently associated with incident STI infection among young female sex workers (FSWs). METHODS: We conducted 33 in-depth interviews with women (15-29 years old) engaged in sex work to explore ATS use and vulnerability to HIV/STI. RESULTS: Participants reported that ATS, primarily methamphetamine in pill and crystalline forms (yama), were cheap, widely available and commonly used. Yama was described as a "power drug" (thnam kamlang) which enabled women to work long hours and serve more customers. Use of ATS by clients was also common, with some providing drugs for women and/or encouraging their use, often resulting in prolonged sexual activity. Requests for unprotected sex were also more common among alternatives intoxicated clients and strategies typically employed to negotiate condom use were less effective. CONCLUSION: ATS use was highly functional for young women engaged in sex work, facilitating a sense of power and agency and highlighting the occupational significance and normalization of ATS in this setting. This highly gendered dynamic supports the limited but emerging literature on women's use of ATS, which to date has been heavily focused on men. Results indicate an urgent need to increase awareness of the risks associated with ATS use, to provide women with sustainable alternatives for income generation, to better regulate the conditions of sex work, and to work with FSWs and their clients to develop and promote culturally appropriate harm reduction interventions.

Association between distance to HIV testing site and uptake of HIV testing for tuberculosis patients in Cambodia.

SETTING: Banteay Meanchey Province, Cambodia. OBJECTIVE: Cambodia has the highest incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in Asia. Not all TB patients are tested for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). We assessed the association between distance to HIV testing facility and HIV testing rates. METHODS: We analyzed data on TB patients from 11 clinics to determine the proportion tested for HIV infection. We categorized each TB clinic as having a voluntary confidential counseling and testing (VCCT) center onsite, or being at <15 min, 15-30 min or >30 min driving distance to the nearest VCCT. RESULTS: Of 1017 TB patients not previously tested for HIV, 708 (70%) were tested. Of 481 TB patients without onsite VCCT, 297 (62%) were tested, compared to 410 (77%) of 535 TB patients with onsite VCCT (RR 0.6, 95%CI 0.5-0.7). When the VCCT site was >15 min from the TB clinic, HIV testing occurred only half as frequently as when onsite VCCT was available. CONCLUSION: TB patients treated at clinics without onsite or nearby HIV testing are less commonly tested for HIV infection. Making HIV testing available to TB patients without the necessity of traveling to a distant HIV testing site is likely to increase HIV testing rates.