In response to "The Siberian Side of AIDS," April 29.

Editor,

In addition to the outbreak in Irkutsk - as described in the aforementioned article - HIV/AIDS has now reached epidemic levels in many regions of Russia. And the outbreak is fueled almost entirely by drug use. What can be done?

Providing drug users with clean needles through syringe exchange programs dramatically decreases the spread of HIV and other blood-borne illnesses. Offering drug users methadone treatment is also an effective strategy.

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