Significant changes in preference of illicit drug use in a population of Hanoi, Vietnam-A 6-year wastewater study (2018-2023).

Background And Aim: Illicit drug use causes great harm and economical loss to society, yet there is limited understanding of its prevalence in the population in low-income countries like Vietnam where survey resources are scarce. In this study, we used wastewater analysis as a cost-effective monitoring tool to measure illicit drug use in a population of Hanoi, Vietnam, a low-income country in Southeast Asia.

Design, Setting And Participants: This is a longitudinal observational study.

Prevalence of illicit drug consumption in a population of Hanoi: an estimation using wastewater-based epidemiology.

Illicit drug use is a serious issue in Vietnam, but information about their prevalence is scarce, mainly based on seizure data. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is an alternative tool for obtaining such information, especially when stigma related to drug use can hinder survey approaches. The study aimed to apply WBE to assess the prevalence of use of a range of illicit drugs in an urban population of Vietnam.