Intravenous drug users represent one of the most important social groups for HIV transmission in contemporary China, with approximately 60% to 70% of reported HIV infections occurring within this demographic (4) . Most appear to be men aged between 20 and 29 years of age (8) . Interestingly, some investigations have revealed that the HIV prevalence rate may be higher among female drug users than males (1) . Either way, their overall number has certainly increased rapidly in recent years. For example, there were officially 170,000 drug users nationwide in 1993, a figure which increased to 400,000 in 1994 (2) . By 2001, the official population of drug users was put at 900,000 (4). The prevalence of HIV among drug users, although variable from study to study, is known to be uniformly high. In Yunnan province, bordering Burma, almost half of all Heroin users are infected. In Xinjiang province, some studies have shown a HIV prevalence rate of 85% among drug users (8) . It has been demonstrated that after 1 year of injecting drug use, the prevalence of HIV infection reaches 68% (1) . HIV infection also occurs in conjunction with Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and other blood-borne diseases. A recent study of drug users in Sichuan province showed the prevalence of HCV and HIV to be 71% and 11% respectively (14) . HIV has now spread to all 30 provinces throughout China (6) . At present, Yunnan has the highest number of HIV infected persons, representing approximately one-quarter of all reported cases. In Dehong for example, more than 1% of all pregnant women now suffer from HIV (15) . Although Yunnan is one of China's poorest provinces, increased foreign trade in recent years has paradoxically improved the economy while simultaneously facilitating the spread of HIV (16) .