Update: syringe exchange programs--United States, 1997.

As of December 1997, more than one third (36%) of the 641,086 cases of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) reported to CDC were directly or indirectly associated with injecting-drug use. Syringe exchange programs (SEPs) are one of the strategies employed to prevent infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among injecting-drug users (IDUs). The goal of SEPs is to reduce the transmission of HIV and other bloodborne infections associated with reuse of blood-contaminated syringes for drug injection by providing sterile syringes in exchange for used, potentially contaminated syringes. This report summarizes a survey of U.S. SEP activities during January-December 1997 and compares the findings with those of two previous surveys during 1994-1995 and 1996. The findings indicate continued expansion in the number, geographic coverage, and activity of SEPs in the United States.