KARACHI, March 12: Karachi has been mapped as a city with the largest population of injecting drug users in a study conducted in 19 cities of the country, according to the National Report (Round IV) conducted by the National AIDS Control Programme.

The number of IDUs was 16,544 on 22 spots of Karachi, followed by 7,907 in Faisalabad and 3,596 in Lahore. The IDUs in Karachi constituted more than one-third of the total IDUs estimated.

Nearly two-thirds of the IDUs were between 25 and 40 years and more than half of them were illiterate.

More than two-thirds of the IDUs surveyed lived with their families and the rest with their friends. In Karachi and Larkana, more than 50 per cent of the IDUs lived on streets.

Some 4.4pc of the IDUs reported being physically abused and 15.9pc were arrested on criminal charges. Around 33.8pc of them were married, most of them (56pc) were seen in Haripur and Larkana.

On an average, IDUs started injecting drugs at the age of 25.6 years and had been injecting for about 4.9 years at the time of the survey Almost three-quarters of the IDUs (71.5pc) reported injecting between two to three times a day and 21pc reported injecting more than three times a day.

Public spaces, including parks, streets and open spaces, were commonly cited as venues for the injection where 90.5pc of IDUs go there for the purpose.

Just 18pc reported that they self-injected drugs while alone; the rest did it with friends and acquaintances.

Some 38pc of the IDUs said they used a new syringe and 31.2pc reported injecting drugwith a used needle. The rest remained unreported.

About 86.7pc of the IDUs had heard of HIV and/ or AIDS, 73pc believed that a healthy looking person can be infected with HIV.

Among those IDUs who knew of HIV or AIDS, 87.2pc knew that HIV could be transmitted by sharp instruments or needle and 83.8pc were aware of sexual intercourse as a mode of HIV transmission.

However, only 23.5pc knew that transfusion of infected blood could also cause HIV.

Information collected on how HIV transmission could be prevented revealed that 79.3pc of IDUs knew that using a clean syringe for injections protects against HIV transmission, 68.8pc knew that using condoms was an effective method of HIV prevention, while 38.4pc believed that sexual abstinence was a mode of HIV prevention.

Some 64pc believed that they were at a risk of acquiring HIV, but only 32.8pc knew of a place where they could be tested for HIV, while 25.1pc had been tested for HIV in the past. Among those who had been tested, 71.8pc knew of their HIV status. And among those who knew of their HIV status, 10.4pc stated that they were positive in comparison to 89.6pc who said they were negative at the time of the test.

While knowledge of HIV as a sexually transmitted infection was high, in all the cities except Karachi, Larkana and Dadu, around half of the respondents knew that condoms could protect against HIV.

In contrast, a higher proportion of respondents knew that HIV could be prevented by use of a clean needle ranged between 90pc in Karachi to 21pc in Sukkur.