Pubdate: Fri, 03 Oct 1997

"Needle and Syringe Exchange: Pride and Prejudice" 
Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (09/9710/97) 
Vol. 8, No. 5, P. 18; BradleySpringer, Lucy

Increasing evidence suggests that needle and syringe exchange programs
(N/SEPs), operated in conjunction with education and counseling programs,
significantly reduce transmission rates of HIV and other bloodborne
diseases in injection drugusing populations.  According to an article
published in the Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, the
programs may lead more injection drug users to seek treatment for
addiction.  Worldwide studies have found no evidence linking N/SEPs to
increased drug use.  At the National Institutes of Health Consensus
Development Conference on Intervention to Prevent HIV Risk Behaviors in
February, participants recognized both the scientific evidence supporting
N/SEPs and the political will that is blocking their standardization in the
United States.