OTTAWA - The Liberal government should implement prison-based needle and syringe programs to address rates of HIV and hepatitis C estimated to be 10 to 30 times higher than in the general population, proponents say. Emily van der Meulen of Ryerson University, the lead author of a recent study, said she wants to see the government review evidence on the effectiveness of programs that have operated in countries like Switzerland for more than 20 years. "I'm hopeful that the government will look to this evidence, as well as to our recent research report," she said. [continues 187 words]
Thank you for your article in The Chronicle regarding "Coordinated effort to remove syringes" (Feb. 9). I hope you'll consider exploring this subject further, looking at the root causes of the incredible increase in improperly discarded needles. Where are all these thousands of needles coming from? Why the exponential increase? How much is attributable to the disappearance of needle exchange programs and their replacement with needle giveaways? Is this policy right for San Francisco? What other cities have changed this policy? What differentiates successful implementations from unsuccessful? Even if exchange is not required, can we mandate that the giveaways accept used needles for disposal (apparently many do not)? We need to find a solution to the root of the problem. Cleanup is good, but it's just a BandAid. Tim Miller, San Francisco [end]
Researchers hope Liberals' 'evidence-based' approach will endorse safe-injection programs After years of pushing for safe drug-injection programs in Canadian jails, health advocates say mounting evidence and a new government in Ottawa present a chance to finally make it happen. In a report published Wednesday, researchers in Toronto provide a framework for the introduction of what they call "prison-based needle and syringe programs" in Canada - programs that the authors argue are sorely needed in provincial and federal jails to address levels of HIV and Hepatitis C infections that are "astronomically" high compared with those in the general population. [continues 723 words]
CAMBRIDGE - Here in a nameless brick building, people addicted to drugs come to get what they need. Not heroin or other narcotics, but the accessories - and more. A smiling receptionist takes back used syringes and hands out sterile ones to those who register (no names needed; each client gets a number). A framed placard advises on needle selection. Members can also help themselves to tourniquets, cotton swabs, bandages, and other supplies. It may look like complicity, but the AIDS Action Committee's needle exchange in Central Square is no rogue operation. Decades of research show that needle exchanges prevent disease, do not increase drug use, and sometimes coax far-gone addicts into treatment. [continues 1257 words]
Put a bounty on used syringes, perhaps 25 cents each. There are plenty of people on the streets collecting cans and bottles, why not syringes as well? Let the needle exchange make the payments. Far cheaper than increasing the budgets for streets and parks who clean up. A bounty on needles would be as effective as a redeemable deposit has been for cans and bottles. Steve Glaeser, Berkeley [end]
In 1997, I went to a "needle exchange" in San Francisco to see firsthand how the "harm reduction program" prevented the spread of HIV among addicts. Exchange staff offered vitamins, treatment for sores and referrals to kick the habit; addicts handed over carefully bundled needles in a one-dirty-for-one-clean exchange. Users' participation demonstrated that they had not given up on themselves. The needle program began with good intentions. In the 1990s, addicts often shared needles - and HIV. The pioneer program promised to save lives make users responsible for syringe disposal. Little did I know that over the next two decades, in San Francisco and other U.S. cities, "needle exchange" would morph into "syringe access." [continues 486 words]
CITY STAFF concerned for children's safety at Maffeo Sutton Park Twelve drug needles found dumped in Maffeo Sutton Park children's playground this fall was a shock to city horticulturalist Margaret Mills, who says it's a rare find and "very upsetting." But it's nothing new for the downtown community, which is grappling with an uptick in discarded drug paraphernalia. A parent alerted Mills, who maintains the waterfront park, on Oct. 20 that there were 12 needles left in the children's playground. Six were still in a package, while the other half were used. [continues 518 words]
Needle-exchange programs are an effective means of preventing the spread of HIV, connecting individuals in need with social services and even preventing the improper disposal of drug paraphernalia. According to the latest figures from the California Department of Public Health, Orange County reported 972 Hepatitis C cases and 502 of Hepatitis B in 2011. As of June 30, 2014, the county also had the fourth-highest number of HIV cases in the state. Injection drug use is a significant risk factor for all of them and a known factor in the majority of Hepatitis C cases and roughly 10 percent of HIV infections. [continues 537 words]
Langley city council voted down a motion Sept. 14 to have staff report back on advice and recommendations on the viability of a needle exchange program - leaving one councillor concerned about their lack of understanding regarding harm-reduction practices. "Many of these people, not only on council but on staff, have no concept whatsoever of the term harm reduction, so that's why I served that notice of motion," said Coun. Dave Hall. "It was a request for education, so if you look at the details of the motion, it wasn't advocating a needle exchange, it wasn't advocating needle depositories, it was simply asking staff to go and look at what other communities are doing and come back to council and basically educate them." [continues 138 words]
City Hall Was a Tense Arena for a Discussion on Harm Reduction Tuesday Just how dangerous is a discarded, used needle? At Tuesday's council meeting, that question was at the forefront of a presentation by officials from Fraser Health, who maintained that needles found around town actually posed no more risk to the average resident than a rusty nail, because diseases like HIV don't survive in conditions outside the body for a long period of time. The point was met with plenty of derision from the crowd of more than 30 residents attending the meeting, who joined council to pressure Fraser Health to step up efforts to stem the tide of needles ending up in parks, and schools around the City. [continues 457 words]
Regarding the article Needles for London drug addicts soar to 2.5M (Aug. 14). Cherie Emms has a valid point: the more syringes given out, the more will be found around neighbourhoods where drug users frequent. Medical officer of health Christopher Mackie states needles don't pose a large public threat. If it was his child exposed to this danger, I believe he would find it significant. I am glad the spread of disease among drug users is down, but increased needles discarded in our neighbourhoods is not the answer. Barbara Adkin London [end]
There are nearly 2,000 people in the Mountain State living with HIV/AIDS. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources showed, back in April, the state has the highest rates of Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C cases in the country. In 2012, the Hep C rate was reported at 3.1 cases per 100,000 people, compared with 0.7 cases per 100,000 nationally. In 2013, Hep B rates were reported at 10.6 per 100,000 people, compared with the national rate of 0.9 cases per 100,000 people. [continues 1063 words]
Heroin is a damaging, addictive drug that often brings with it another health threat: potentially deadly infections spread by needle-sharing. In light of a spike in heroin use and Hepatitis C infections in Franklin County and across Ohio, health officials in Columbus are considering launching a needle-exchange program to provide drug users with clean needles - and at the same time put them in contact with people who might help them kick the habit. Columbus Health Commissioner Dr. Teresa Long told The Dispatch that the city is in the early stages of discussing a comprehensive program that could include a needle exchange along with giving users access to treatment, a model that has found success elsewhere. She also would like to see increased distribution of naloxone, a drug (sold under the name Narcan) that can save opioid users from a fatal overdose. [continues 356 words]
Health Officials Say That Needlesharing by Drug Users Is Spreading Hepatitis C Locally and Statewide. The boom in heroin use paired with a surge in hepatitis C infections in Franklin County and across Ohio have heightened worries about the spread of other diseases, particularly HIV, and sparked conversations about a local needle exchange. Hepatitis C, a treatable but sometimes deadly viral disease that attacks the liver, was diagnosed in 719 people in Franklin County five years ago. The number had nearly doubled by last year, to 1,369, according to data from Columbus Public Health. So far this year, the county is on pace to record more than 1,400 cases. In just one year, the number of hepatitis C cases statewide grew from 10,020 in 2013 to 15,887 in 2014. [continues 747 words]
WATERLOO REGION - Almost 100,000 additional needles were distributed through Waterloo Region's needle syringe program during 2014. Public Health's annual report highlights that more than 454,000 needles were given out last year to more than 7,000 clients. According to Lesley Rintche, manager of sexual health and harm reduction with the region's public health department, expansion and increased awareness of the program led to more participants and contributed to the higher number of needles handed out last year. [continues 598 words]
The Richmond News found needles outside its No. 3 Road office. Do you know what to do if you find used hypodermic syringes? Would you know what to do if you found a used hypodermic needle in your yard or in your office parking lot in Richmond? We, at the Richmond News, had no idea what to do when we discovered two such items at the side of our building on No. 3 and Lansdowne roads last week. At first blush, it seemed straightforward and, after a quick Google search, we called the "Needle Pick-up Hotline" and left them a voicemail with our address. Simple enough? [continues 403 words]
It took Judith Feinberg years to gain political backing to open a needle exchange for injection-drug users in Ohio's Hamilton County, even as heroin and painkiller abuse spurred a flood of hepatitis C infections in the region. Six weeks after it opened last year in a recreational vehicle in a Cincinnati suburb, the local government shut it down, saying residents felt it encouraged drug use and attracted addicts to the neighborhood. Several other communities also rejected the project. Eventually, a church offered its parking lot. [continues 631 words]
"It doesn't necessarily mean we have an increase in drug use" Needle exchange seeing huge annual increase in sharps distributed. Cape Breton's needle exchange is continuing to see huge increases year-to-year in the number of needles it distributes but its executive director said it's not necessarily a clear correlation to increased drug use in a region that already has a significant drug problem. Christine Porter, executive director of the Ally Centre of Cape Breton, said the increase - more than 140,000 additional needles in the past year, for a total of 623,000 - is alarming but could be due to increased knowledge of the service and the desire by drug users for harm reduction. [continues 523 words]
The numbers are alarming. The Ally Centre of Cape Breton's needle exchange program served nearly five times as many young men and women during the 2014-15 fiscal year as it did in 2013-14. "It's pretty startling," said Christine Porter, executive director of the Sydney-based organization. "But we're seeing increased numbers every year, regardless. More than 623,000 syringes left this building last year, which is 140,000 more than (the previous year). Every year, we're seeing major, major increases in the numbers of syringes that leave here." [continues 329 words]
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Indiana approved a yearlong needleexchange program Thursday for a county at the center of an HIV outbreak that prompted a new state law allowing such programs. State health Commissioner Dr. Jerome Adams' approval for Scott County includes a public-health emergency declaration that will allow it to operate a needle exchange through May 24, 2016. The southeastern Indiana county has operated a temporary needle-exchange since early April under executive orders Gov. Mike Pence signed in response to the largest HIV outbreak in state history. [continues 128 words]
