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To the Editor: In their discussion of new estimates of incidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the United States, Dr Hall and colleagues¹ note that the rate of new HIV infections directly attributed to injection drug use has decreased by approximately 80% and continues to decline, citing the role of increased syringe access through needle exchange programs and pharmacies in reducing needle sharing among drug injectors. These revised HIV incidence figures provide further corroboration of the literature documenting that injection drug users successfully reduce needle sharing and related injection risk behaviors when provided access to appropriate education and safer injection tools, including syringe access.²

The US Congress has maintained a prohibition on the use of federal money for providing syringes to injection drug users since 1988, leaving syringe exchanges to be supported by severely limited state, local, and private funds.³ Under the current administration, this funding ban also extends . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Sharon Stancliff, MD
stancliff@harmreduction.org
Harm Reduction Coalition
New York, New York

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