Obstacles to the Development of Prevention and Public Health Policies in Argentina

The spread of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic and its impact in the injection drug user population occurred while the social assistance of the State diminished and poverty increased within the Argentinean population. Five main obstacles have been identified for the development of HIV infection/AIDS prevention policies for injection drug users: the scarce development of research and its poor impact in the definition of governmental policies, the characteristics of the legal framework regarding illegal drug use, the orientation of the health and social care services directed to drug users, deficiencies in the training of technicians and professionals related to these issues, and problems in assigning existing resources. International agencies play a very important role in this context. The project "Prevention of HIV Infection in Injection Drug Users in the Southern Cone," financially supported by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, is presented as an example.