STERILE NEEDLES CUT SPREAD OF HIV: STUDY

Plan Must Include Education, Outreach And Medical Aid, Doctor Says

WASHINGTON (CP) -- A prestigious U.S. scientific body is urging
governments to adopt controversial measures to cut the spread of HIV
among injection-drug users.

A new report from the Institute of Medicine, commissioned by UNAIDS
and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, suggests programs that
provide access to methadone therapy and clean syringes reduce the
risk of HIV transmission among people who inject illegal drugs.

"A clean needle won't prevent a sexual transmission . . . but it will
prevent a needle-borne transmission," said Dr. Hugh Tilson, chairman
of the panel that wrote the report.

Tilson said access to needles and syringes should be part of a
multi-component program of education, outreach and access to medical
care. He said evidence suggests such programs are effective in
achieving the social objective of reducing the spread of HIV.

Researchers say the report is "encouraging," but evidence on whether
safe-injection sites reduce the spread of HIV among drug users is preliminary.

The federal government recently put off deciding on the fate of
Vancouver's Insite program until the end of 2007, saying there is
insufficient evidence to approve a requested 31/3-year extension.

Dr. Evan Wood, an addiction researcher with the B.C. Centre of
Excellence in HIV/AIDS, disagreed with the report's assessment that
the evidence is preliminary, but welcomed the research.

"Reports like this are very encouraging because they promote dealing
with the problem of injection-drug use in an evidence-based fashion,"
said Wood.

Naysayers argue these programs deter addicts from trying to kick
their habit and may encourage others to start using injection drugs.