HIV and the Injecting Drug User (From AIDS: Social Representations, Social Practices, P 160-172, 1989, Peter Aggleton, Graham Hart, et al, eds. -- See NCJ-130840)

• NCJ Number: 130849
• Author(s): G Hart
• Date Published: 1989
• Length: 13 pages
• Sale Source: Taylor & Francis Inc.
• Publication Type: Conference Material
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom
• Note: Paper presented at the Second United Kingdom Conference on Social Aspects of AIDS, 1987, London

Annotation

The appearance of AIDS among injecting drug users has resulted in a sudden increase in medical, media, and political interest in this particular population.

Abstract

Concerned about injecting drug users acting as a source of infection within the heterosexual population, governments have adopted a philosophy that emphasizes harm and risk reduction strategies rather than the politically more acceptable but practically more difficult goal of total abstinence. This has led to a great deal of debate within and between drug treatment agencies as to the services they should offer to drug users. Arguments focus on two broad areas, the first of which is the issue of overall treatment policy. On the one hand, there is a view that drug users should be offered not only free needles and syringes but also injectable drugs, including heroin, under certain circumstances. Some who would not go this far argue for the more liberal provision of oral methadone to a wide range of drug users. The weakness in this argument is that many drug users continue to inject even when receiving oral methadone. A second line of argument concerns the strategy that may best reach a larger proportion of injecting drug users than the small minority who present themselves for treatment. It is contended that community-based services targeting at-risk groups are likely to be more effective than statutory treatment agencies. AIDS epidemiology, social and behavioral aspects of AIDS transmission, and health outreach efforts are discussed. 17 references