Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal IRCMJ 2010; 12(3):334-336 ©Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal LETTER TO THE EDITOR Knowledge and Attitude of Male Intravenous Drug Users on HIV/AIDS Associated High Risk Behaviors in

Most of the studies have shown that HIV positive is more prevalent among prisoners compared with the free-dwelling population.1,2 Usually, the people who are imprisoned have a history of drug abuse, shared syringes and high risk sexual behavior.3 The incar-ceration of intravenous drug users (IDU) is a potential lifestyle risk factor, increasing the rate of STI or re-lated diseases such as HIV/AIDS; this is often a result of IDU and unsafe sexual relations in prisons.4 In the United States of America, the general prevalence of HIV positive among prisoners is four times as much as that of the general population.5 One study in the USA has reported that almost all of the drug addicted prisoners have had high risk behaviors, unprotected sexual activities and shared syringes in prison.6