Post-Schna-ulations

Falling behind in the battle against AIDS

CitiWide Harm Reduction is one of nine city syringe exchange programs sanctioned by the state under a law passed in 1992. The New York City program is the largest and most successful in the country. When New York passed its law, about half the city's addicts were infected with H.I.V., and were regularly passing on those infections to others. Since the syringe exchanges were legalized and expanded, however, the infection rate among addicts has dropped from about 50 percent to a little more than 15 percent.
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By contrast, the debate in America has been driven not by science or public health concerns but by an ideology that sees syringe exchange programs as inherently "evil.'' This view has persisted in Congress, which has barred syringe programs from receiving federal funds, despite clear evidence showing that they slow the spread of disease without creating new addicts. Narrow-mindedness at the federal level has cost lives, leaving the country 20 years behind where it could be in the battle against AIDS.

posted by Schna @ 7:48 AM