Journal Article

Preventing HIV and Hepatitis Infections Among People Who Inject Drugs: Leveraging an Indiana Outbreak Response to Break the Impasse

Crowley, Jeffrey S., Millett, Gregorio A.

2017

Overview

Providing clean needles through syringe services programs (SSPs) prevents the spread of disease among people who inject drugs (PWID). The recent HIV outbreak in Scott County, Indiana was a wakeup call with particular significance because modeling suggests that Scott County is but one of many counties in the United States highly vulnerable to an HIV outbreak among PWID. It is a painful recognition that some policy makers ignored the evidence in support of SSPs when it was primarily blacks in inner cities that were affected, yet swung into action in the wake of Scott County where 99% of the cases were white. Too many Americans have been taught to shame and shun drug users (irrespective or race or ethnicity). Therefore, we need lessons that afford benefits to all communities. We need to understand what made opinion leaders change their views and then change more hearts and minds before, not after the next outbreak.

• Publisher: Springer US,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome / Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - epidemiology / Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - ethnology / Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - prevention & control / Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - transmission / AIDS / Black or African American / Black people / Black People - statistics & numerical data / Blood diseases / Counties / Disease Outbreaks - prevention & control / Disease Outbreaks - statistics & numerical data / Drug abuse / Drug use / Drugs / Editorial / Ethnicity / Health Psychology / Hepatitis / Hepatitis C, Chronic - epidemiology / Hepatitis C, Chronic - ethnology / Hepatitis C, Chronic - prevention & control / Hepatitis C, Chronic - transmission / HIV / HIV Infections - epidemiology / HIV Infections - ethnology / HIV Infections - prevention & control / HIV Infections - transmission / Human immunodeficiency virus / Humans / Indiana / Infectious Diseases / Inner city / Medicaid / Medicine / Medicine & Public Health / Minority & ethnic groups / Needle exchange programs / Needle Sharing - adverse effects / Needle Sharing - statistics & numerical data / Needle-Exchange Programs - organization & administration / Needle-Exchange Programs - supply & distribution / Needles / Opinion leaders / Outbreaks / Policy making / Prevention programs / Public Health / Race / Shame / Social Stigma / Substance Abuse, Intravenous - complications / Substance Abuse, Intravenous - epidemiology / Substance Abuse, Intravenous - ethnology / Substance Abuse, Intravenous - prevention & control / United States / Vulnerability / White People - statistics & numerical data