FEAR OF HIV DRUG EPIDEMIC

AUSTRALIA is facing an HIV epidemic with health experts warning about
the arrival of injectable cocaine.

Melbourne and Sydney are expected to be the arrival points for the
drug as it spreads nationwide.

A spokeswoman for Health Minister Michael Wooldridge yesterday
confirmed he had been told Australia was facing a new HIV epidemic.

Dr Wooldridge was told the HIV explosion would quickly spread into the
broader community through sexual transmission from intravenous cocaine
users.

Health experts said yesterday injectable cocaine users were a major
new pool of HIV carriers.

Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation treasurer David Stanley said the
number of HIV cases caused by injectable cocaine could grow by up to
10 times faster than HIV transmission through heroin injection or
homosexual sex.

"This is a whole new pool of HIV infection with a faster growth rate,"
he said.

"This pool has a clear crossover into the general community."

An Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations ministerial briefing
paper stated a six-fold increase in use of injectable cocaine in
Melbourne and Sydney would cause the epidemic.

The federation said injectable cocaine users in both cities were
shooting up 20 to 30 times a day which created a "high risk of a new
HIV epidemic".

A recent study found the use of injectable cocaine had risen six-fold
in Australia.

It represents a greater HIV threat than heroin because injectable
cocaine users were more likely to share and re-use needles.

"A prompt response will be required (in Australia) to avoid an HIV
epidemic within IDUs as an outbreak among people who inject cocaine
could occur over a very short period of time," the paper said.

"An outbreak, initially among people who inject drugs, is likely to
expand into the broader community through sexual transmissions," the
briefing paper commissioned by Dr Wooldridge stated.

Dr Wooldridge's spokeswoman said the Federal Government had major
concerns of a widespread outbreak of HIV and hepatitis C.

Almost 19,000 Australians have contracted the HIV infection in the 10
years from 1987.

Almost 5540 of those had died to the end of 1997