| Other
relevant studies of needle exchanges
 |
Of the 35 studies
of needle exchanges published prior to 1998, 27 studies showed the
needle exchange reduced
injection-related HIV risk behaviors, six showed mixed or neutral
results and two found negative
impacts.(1)
 |
|
|
A study of 81
cities found that, on average, HIV seroprevalence increased by 5.9
percent per year in the 52 cities without needle exchange programs
and decreased by 5.8 percent per year in the 29 cities with needle
exchange programs.(2)
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|
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An evaluation of
syringes returned to a New Haven needle exchange suggested that
HIV infection among those using the exchange had been reduced by
at least 33 percent.(3)
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A cohort study
found that high-risk injection drug users in
Oakland, California, reduced syringe sharing once they had access
to a needle exchange program. This finding continued to hold
when other key variables were controlled.(4)
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A Windham,
Connecticut, study found
that injecting drug users turned to unsafe sources
for syringes after the needle exchange was
closed.(5)
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A New York City
study show that the rate of new HIV infections among injecting
drug users had been brought down through a combination of efforts
including needle exchange programs, AIDS treatment for those
infected, and increased access to drug treatment.(6) |
Footnotes
| (1) |
E. Drucker, Peter
Lurie, A. Wodak and P. Alcabes, 1998, "Measuring harm
reduction: The effects of needle and syringe exchange programs and
methadone maintenance on the ecology of HIV. AIDS. Vol. 12
(supplement A): pp. S217-230.
|
| (2) |
Susan F. Hurley, Damien J. Jolley,
and John M. Kaldor, 1997, "Effectiveness of needle-exchange
programmes for prevention of HIV infection," The Lancet, June
21, vol. 349. pp. 1797-1800.
|
| (3) |
Edward H. Kaplan, 1994, "A
method for evaluating needle exchange programmes," Statistics
in Medicine, vol. 13, pp. 2179-2187.
|
| (4) |
Ricky N. Bluthenthal,
Alex H. Kral, Lauren Gee, Elizabeth A. Erringer, and Brian R.
Edlin, 2000, "The effect of syringe exchange use on high-risk
injection drug users: a cohort study," AIDS, Vol. 14,
No. 5, pp. 605-611.
|
| (5) |
Robert S. Broadhead,
Yael Van Hulst, and Doublas D. Heckathorn, 1999, "The impact of a
needle exchange's closure," Public Health Reports,
September/October, Vol. 114. pp.439-447. (Abstract)
See the same
authors, 1999, "Termination of an established needle-exchange: a study
of claims and their impact." Social Problems, Vol. 46,
No. 1, pp.46-66. (Abstract)
|
| (6) |
Don C. Des Jarlais, Michael
Marmor, Patricia Friedman, Stephen Titus and others, 2000,
"HIV incidence among injection drug users in New York City,
1992-1997: evidence for a declining epidemic," American
Journal of Public Health, March, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 352-359.
|
For
a list of other materials used on this website, see References.
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