Risk behaviors among female sex workers FSW are considerable drivers of HIV infections in Vietnam, especially transmission between high-risk and low-risk groups. We interviewed participants face-to-face in order to elicit information about their lives and potential risk factors, and we tested their sera to determine their HIV status.
We then performed multivariate logistic regression analyses to investigate factors associated with HIV infection. Unprotected sex with regular and casual clients in the past month was frequent among study participants However, few respondents 1. Only 2. Interventions to reduce unsafe sex and drug injection, and to increase uptake of HIV testing among FSWs are necessary.
Differences in HIV prevalence and its correlates by type of sex work emphasize the importance of constrained contexts in shaping risk behaviors among FSWs; that should be considered in designing HIV prevention programs. However, in many parts of the world, the burden of HIV remains high among high-risk populations, including female sex workers FSWs , injecting drug users, and men who have sex with men [2].
It is estimated that approximately one-eighth Thus, women who engage in sex work are highly stigmatized. The national HIV sentinel surveillance revealed that unsafe sex and drug injection were fuelling the spread of HIV in this population [6].
Furthermore, sex work places the clients and partners of FSWs at high risk of HIV infection as well, who can then act as a bridge for the disease into the general population [4]. The Mekong Delta Region is in southwestern Vietnam, which is known for the vast rice fields and plantations that make up the core of its economy.
