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Evaluation of syringe‐exchange for HIV prevention among injecting drug users in rural and urban areas of Wales
Author(s) -
KEENE JAN,
STIMSON GERRY V.,
JONES STEVE,
PARRYLANGDON NINA
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
addiction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.424
H-Index - 193
eISSN - 1360-0443
pISSN - 0965-2140
DOI - 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1993.tb02125.x
Subject(s) - syringe , medicine , heroin , attendance , population , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , opiate , environmental health , substance abuse , family medicine , drug , psychiatry , receptor , economics , economic growth
This paper considers the prevention of HIV in rural and urban areas among both opiate and non‐opiate drug injectors. A 2‐year study evaluated specialist and community based syringe‐exchange provision in Wales. Numbers of clients and patterns of attendance at eight syringe‐exchange schemes were monitored together with comparative cross‐sectional studies of attenders (n = 152) and non‐attenders (n = 176) from the population of drug injectors in 1990 and 1991. A total of 1171 clients made 7553 visits in the 2‐year period, 110000 syringes were issued and 80% of needles and syringes were returned. There were feat demographic differences between attenders and non‐attenders, but large and significant differences in HIV risk behaviour; only 9% of attenders had recently shared syringes in 1990 (10% in 1991) compared to 41% of non‐attenders (39% in 1991). The catchment areas of specialised services were limited (5 miles or less) and insufficient in rural areas. Alternative community approaches to syringe distribution and exchange are examined.