State of New Jersey
GOVERNOR'S ADVISORY COUNCIL ON AIDS
CN 363
TRENTON, N.J. 08625-0363
(609) 984-7160

David W. Troast
Chairman

VIVIAN Sanks KING, ESQ.
Vice Chairperson

October 5, 1998

Christine Todd Whitman: Governor
State of New Jersey
CN-001
Trenton, NJ, 08625

Dear Governor Whitman,

I want to acknowledge your letter of August 5th and apprise you of what action I have taken since its receipt. The letter was distributed to the entire Council at our regular meeting on September 9th and was the subject of a Council executive committee meeting on September 24th.

The Council has always been aware of your position on needle exchange and clean needle availability. From it's inception this council has striven to provide what it believes to be the best possible advice on a wide ranging set of issues and has provided specific comprehensive recommendations on counseling and testing, managed care, the allocation of resources for protease inhibitors, coordination of the Ryan White funds, and clean needle availability. We are also focusing on the special needs of segments of the population most seriously impacted by the AIDS virus. We will in the near future be completing a recommendation on kinship care for AIDS orphans in order to place these unfortunate children in the best possible environment for their future growth.

While we respect your opinion on needle exchange and clean needle availability the active public members of this council with only one exception believe that the availability of clean needles will significantly reduce the transmission of the virus among injection drug users and the secondary infection of their sex partners and children. I, personally, believe clean needle availability and needle exchange remains the single most effective prevention strategy not available to the citizens of New Jersey.

We are happy to concentrate our efforts on special segments of the population including those suggested in your letter; minority women of reproductive age and adolescents. We cannot however, address these segments of the population without also addressing the root cause of their infection. Almost without exception these populations have contracted the virus either directly or indirectly from dirty needles.

Here in New Jersey there are about six new infections occurring every day. Two thirds of those infections are directly or indirectly the result of the sharing of dirty needles by injection drugs users. With an effective, well managed, clean-needle program one third to one half of these infections could be prevented.

We would welcome further suggestions as to where you would like us to focus our efforts. As a result of the new drug regimens the mortality rate of those infected has dropped dramatically. This, however, translates to an ever greater population of HIV infected persons at risk of transmitting the virus. We must avail ourselves of every effective and morally defensible strategy to prevent the infection from growing beyond it's already devastating level.

Sincerely,

David W. Troast
Chairman