FIGHTING HIV-AIDS ONE SYRINGE AT A TIME

HIV infections among Latinos and African Americans in the United
States are increasing at a dangerous rate. Hispanics represented
about 22 percent of new HIV and AIDS cases diagnosed in 2006 --
though they were only about 14 percent of the overall population. In
addition, there are fewer HIV-positive people in seven of the 15
target countries of the Global AIDS Initiative than there are
HIV-positive African Americans here at home.

Locally, the situation is even more dire: A recent Kaiser Family
Foundation survey found that Hispanics in the District have the
highest rate of new AIDS cases in the country.

Despite these alarming statistics, our federal government -- which is
working to reduce infection rates around the globe -- is ignoring a
simple, effective step that could be helpful in the United States.
Since 1988, Congress has banned federal funding of syringe exchange
programs. We must lift this ban.

At the end of 2006, nearly one-third of all U.S. AIDS cases -- more
than 300,000 -- were linked to intravenous drug use. These are not
just numbers but thousands of Americans -- friends, relatives and
colleagues -- struggling with what can be debilitating challenges.
Drug addiction can ruin lives, but even its enormous power pales in
comparison to the havoc wreaked by HIV. While we strive to help
people overcome drug addiction, we must also help them avoid HIV-AIDS
and other infectious diseases.

Last year, in an annual spending bill that I wrote, I was able to
lift a congressionally mandated ban on the District of Columbia using
its own funds for syringe exchange programs. I believe that this was
both a home-rule issue and a positive public health initiative.
During debate on this measure, critics trotted out the tired claim
that syringe exchange programs encourage drug use.

The facts do not support this claim. Consider what Elias A. Zerhouni,
the respected director of the National Institutes of Health, wrote to
Congress in 2004: "A number of studies conducted in the United States
have shown that syringe exchange programs do not increase drug use
among participants or surrounding community members and are
associated with reductions in the incidence of HIV, hepatitis B, and
hepatitis C in the drug-using population." Despite overwhelming
scientific evidence, legislators and others opposed to syringe
exchange continue to ignore the proof that contradicts their claims.

It is time to move past stale arguments and change this federal
policy. To that end, I recently introduced the Community AIDS and
Hepatitis Prevention Act. This legislation would reduce the spread of
HIV by removing all restrictions on the use of federal funds for
syringe exchange programs. I am not suggesting that funding syringe
exchange programs will end the nation's HIV-AIDS epidemic, but there
is no doubt that it would be an integral part of a comprehensive response.

Syringe exchange programs help address issues beyond HIV-AIDS. For
one thing, they provide opportunities to reduce drug use; studies
show that syringe exchange programs work as a gateway to other forms
of intervention, including counseling, treatment and general
education on risky behavior.

Unlike the federal government, many local and state governments allow
and often finance needle exchange programs. As our economy sags,
however, they are struggling to maintain their support. Helping them
would save taxpayers money in the long run. The average lifetime
health-care costs for an HIV patient are estimated at $618,900. Clean
syringes cost around eight cents each.

We must, of course, keep searching for a cure for AIDS. Researchers
and scientists continue to develop the medicines and expertise
necessary to improve quality of life for people with HIV and to keep
AIDS-related fatalities at bay. But these small victories have not
happened in a vacuum -- they have been extensively underwritten by
the federal government.

After nearly three decades, HIV-AIDS remains a formidable enemy, but
we no longer stand in fear. Our nation has developed many tools to
fight it. We have taken difficult steps -- including confronting
prejudice about AIDS and funding medical research. We have the power
to reduce the number of drug users who become infected with HIV. We
must not let ideology stand in our way. The federal government should
fund a prevention program that works.