Needle exchange programs chase political as well as epidemiological dragons, carrying within them both implicit moral and political goals. In the exchange model of syringe distribution, injection drug users (IDUs) must provide used needles in order to receive new needles. Distribution and retrieval are co-existent in the exchange model. Likewise, limitations on how many needles can be received ...

BACKGROUND The risks of HIV transmission associated with the opioid epidemic make cost-effective programs for people who inject drugs (PWID) a public health priority. Some of these programs have benefits beyond prevention of HIV-a critical consideration given that injection drug use is increasing across most United States demographic groups. To identify high-value HIV prevention program portfol...

In Canada and in many other countries, prisons have become incubators for the transmission of HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV). Estimates of HIV and HCV prevalence in Canadian prisons are at least 10 and 20 times, respectively, the reported prevalence in the population as a whole--and prevalence rates have been reported to be significantly higher for people who inject drugs. Although people who ...

BACKGROUND Injection drug use (IDU) is a primary vector for blood-borne infections. Awareness of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection status may affect risky injection behaviors. This study determines the prevalence of risky injection practices and examines associations between awareness of positive HCV status and risky injection behaviors. METHODS We surveyed individuals seeking treatment for s...

BACKGROUND In Western and Southwest Asia, literature is not documented on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) programs in Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The present study is the first brief review that describes HIV programs in these three neighboring countries. METHODS Data regarding the evidence of HIV programs were gathered through a systematic literature searching. English publications were ...

Introduction The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is 5 to 20 times more infectious than HIV [1]. Even more alarmingly, HCV has the capacity to survive outside of the human body for weeks. Unfortunately, this makes the reuse of injecting equipment that has been contaminated with HCV a highly effective means of spreading the disease [2]. The prevalence of HCV among people who inject drugs (PWID) is shocki...

Despite the introduction of needle and syringe exchange programs (NSPs), sharing of syringes and other materials remains common among injection drug users (IDUs) worldwide. For this reason, IDUs are at high-risk of HIV transmission. This paper studies the psychosocial and psychopathological determinants of sharing among IDUs. Understanding the relationship between psychological morbidity, HIV k...

OBJECTIVES This study aims to provide a national picture of the extent and nature of public health services commissioned by local authorities (LAs) from community pharmacies across England in financial year 2014/15. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey of public health services commissioned in community pharmacies by LAs, gathered via freedom of information requests and documentary analysis. SETTI...