Are you HIV invincible? A probabilistic study of discordant couples in the context of HIV transmission.

ABSTRACT: A number of factors have been identified that are related to sexual and injecting HIV transmission. We developed a probabilistic mathematical model to put these factors together and interpret risks in the context of individual behavior among injecting drug-using (IDU) couples in St. Petersburg, Russia. Some HIV-discordant couples have unprotected sex and sometimes inject drugs together but stay discordant for a long time, while some individuals acquire HIV on the first encounter. We considered existing estimates of HIV transmission risks through injecting and sexual contacts to develop a predictive survival model for an individual who is exposed to HIV through intimate relationships. We computed simulated survival curves for a number of behavioral scenarios and discussed sources of simulat

SUBMITTER: Bobashev G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4026137 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature