[Prevention of HIV infection among drug addicts].

The studied group comprised 2651 patients from detoxication centres and dehabituation treatment institutions who were addicts taking intravenous drugs (71.5% males and 28.5% females). In 12 patients, including one foreign (from Spain) anti-HIV antibodies were found (0.5%). In the years 1986-1987 all tests gave negative results, the first positive result was obtained in 1988, after testing of nearly 1900 patients. In the second half of 1988 positive results were more frequent, since in a group of 400 subjects tested between August and November 10 were positive (2.5%). This shows that the infection spreads rapidly in this population. At the end of November infections among drug addicts accounted for 12.2% of the total number of HIV-positive cases found in Poland. The authors predict a further rapid spreading of this infection in this risk group and postulated gratuitous providing of addicts with dispensable syringes and needles and condoms, and providing systematic intensive training of the personnel of dehabituation treatment institutions as well as extensive informational education of the addicts.