Dogwood
Center
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 1999
CONTACT: Dawn Day, Ph. D. 609-924-4797
AIDS
Prevention Neglected
in Large States and Major Cities
PRINCETON, NJ --
Drug-injection-related AIDS continues to spread in the absence
of syringe exchange programs. Many states and cities with the
highest rates of injection-related AIDS do not have these
programs, according to a new analysis by the Dogwood Center of
Princeton, NJ.
"Four of the ten states
with the highest rates of IV-drug-use-related AIDS do not allow needle exchange
programs. None of the states provide adequate needle
exchange," said Dawn Day, Ph.D., Director of the Dogwood
Center, the study's author.
The study is based on a special
analysis of the most recent data -- through 1998 -- obtained
from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Injection-related AIDS cases include persons who inject drugs
and their heterosexual partners. According to the CDC, half
of all new AIDS cases start with sharing syringes.
"New York, which leads the
nation, historically has had the largest concentration of heroin
users. Needle exchange programs in New York City have reduced
the per capita HIV rate. But the number of exchange programs is
completely inadequate to stop the spread of HIV," said Day.
The spread of HIV through shared
syringes has increased for two reasons. First, the price of
heroin has fallen and purity increased, making addiction more
rapid and less expensive. Second, medical advances in AIDS
treatment mean persons who inject drugs and are infected with
HIV/AIDS are living longer and continuing to share needles.
"For effective AIDS
prevention, substantial expansion and federal funding, of needle
exchange programs are urgently needed," said Day.
See the full report
with additional
key material about each state.
Dawn Day, Ph.D., is a sociologist
specializing in HIV/AIDS transmission in special populations.
The Dogwood Center is an independent research center working on
public health, epidemiology, and criminal justice issues.
# # #
|
10
worst states
|
|
1
|
New
York
|
|
2
|
Maryland
|
|
3
|
Delaware
|
|
4
|
Connecticut
|
|
5
|
New
Jersey
|
|
6
|
Louisiana
|
|
7
|
Pennsylvania
|
|
8
|
Florida
|
|
*9
|
Massachusetts
|
|
*9
|
Rhode
Island
|
|
20
worst metro areas of 500,000 +
|
|
1
|
New
York City
|
|
2
|
Baltimore,
MD
|
|
3
|
Jersey
City, NJ
|
|
4
|
Newark,
NJ
|
|
5
|
Wilmington,
DE
|
|
*6
|
Baton
Rouge, LA
|
|
*6
|
Hartford,
CT
|
|
8
|
West
Palm Beach
|
|
9
|
San
Francisco
|
|
10
|
New
Haven, CT
|
|
11
|
Philadelphia
|
|
12
|
Washington,
DC
|
|
13
|
Springfield,
MA
|
|
14
|
Bergen-Pass.,
NJ
|
|
15
|
New
Orleans, LA
|
|
16
|
Houston,
TX
|
|
*17
|
Miami,
FL
|
|
*17
|
Orlando,
FL
|
|
19
|
Rochester,
NY
|
|
20
|
Atlanta,
GA
|
|
*
|
Tie
|
|
