Drug Users Must Be Helped to Halt AIDS Spread

A lack of harm reduction services in eastern Europe and central Asia threatens to make the regions stand out as exceptions to the global decline in new HIV infections, the head of UNAIDS said Friday. Harm reduction interventions include providing injection drug users (IDUs) with access to sterile syringes, methadone substitution treatment and condoms.

"HIV infection has slowed down globally, but it is expanding in this region of eastern Europe and central Asia," Michel Sidibe said ahead of a harm reduction conference Sunday in Liverpool, England. "We're not seeing anything like this in any other region of the world."

Nonetheless, some governments are wary of supporting harm reduction initiatives for fear of being seen as condoning drug use. Drug users often are shut out from health and social service programs.

"What is unacceptable is knowing there is this multitude of epidemics among drug users, we have, on average, each drug user getting less than two clean needles a month, and only about 4 percent of those living with HIV getting treatment," Sidibe said.

A 2002 study of 103 cities in 24 countries found the HIV infection rate fell almost 19 percent per year on average where syringe access programs were available, compared with 8.1 percent per year where no SAPs existed, Sidibe said. "But people are scared and there is a lack of proper understanding of harm reduction."

Sidibe said Russia would save money and prevent new HIV infections if it started protecting IDUs rather than punishing them. In Russia, the heroin substitute methadone is illegal. In the Ukraine, preventing HIV infection in an IDU would cost less than $100, whereas it costs $825 annually to treat HIV/AIDS, he said.

"Our goals will be reached only if we persuade all governments and authorities that harm reduction is more effective than punishment," Sidibe said.


The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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