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Baltimore
Study
Finds
Needle
Exchange
Effective
8/13/99
Taylor West, jtw5@duke.edu
Baltimore this week celebrated
the success of its extensive needle exchange program, one of the largest
in the country. After five years of operation, the program has saved
the city an estimated $30 million in AIDS patient care costs, a hefty sum
in comparison to the $1.2 million the city has put into the program.
By providing access to sterile
syringes, the program cuts down on needle-sharing among injection drug
users, a primary channel of HIV transmission. Among the clients of
Baltimore's needle exchange, the HIV incidence level is 70% lower than
that of the city's non-participating injection drug users. Dr. Peter
Beilenson, Baltimore City Health Commissioner, said that the program has
now enrolled over 9,000 participants and helped over 1,000 enter drug treatment.
2.5 million syringes have been exchanged, and Beilenson estimates that
around 300 HIV cases have been prevented.
Baltimore's success stands
in stark contrast to the situation in nearby Washington, DC, where Congress
has forbidden the use of city funds for needle exchange for the second
year in a row. Washington, the city with the highest rate of injection-related
HIV in the country, is served only by a single, small needle exchange program
which is bankrolled entirely by private funds.
Visit DRCNet's Syringe
Exchange Resources Online (SERO), the most comprehensive collection of
needle exchange information on the web, at http://www.projectsero.org.
-- END --
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Issue #103, 8/13/99
Medical Marijuana Under Siege, Making Slow Progress | Baltimore Study Finds Needle Exchange Effective | Interview: Dr. Joel Brown on the Status of Drug Education in the United States | Members of California Congressional Delegation Urge Governor to Sign Needle Exchange Bill | Beyond Prohibition: Cato Institute Conference to Feature New Mexico Governor | Methamphetamine Bill Contains Anti-Free-Speech Legislation | Newsbriefs | Job Opportunities | Editorial: Killing the Bad Guys
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