Needle sharing among intravenous drug abusers: future directions.

In summary, the conference focused on one means of HIV transmission among intravenous drug abusers: exposure through the sharing of drug injection equipment. The participants emphasized the urgency of the AIDS epidemic among intravenous drug abusers. A massive effort is needed now to prevent further spread of the disease. The prevention of AIDS requires a multipronged approach to reach intravenous drug abusers, with various motivations for behavior change: Communities across the United States should quickly implement programs to educate addicts regarding their risk for AIDS and how they may reduce their risk. Aggressive outreach is a key educational tool. Drug abuse treatment is an important means of combating the AIDS epidemic among intravenous drug abusers who wish to quit using drugs and are willing to enter treatment. Resources need to be expanded so that drug abuse treatment is readily available. Since a substantial number of intravenous drug abusers will continue to inject drugs, an effective AIDS prevention strategy must encourage these individuals not to share injection equipment and must provide clear and explicit information on how they can clean their injection equipment to decrease the likelihood of HIV transmission if they continue to share. Public policies that restrict the availability of needles and thereby encourage needle sharing should be reexamined. As part of this reexamination, research should be conducted to determine the effectiveness of needle exchange programs that provide intravenous drug abusers with sterile needles in exchange for used needles.