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| | 25th Anniversary of HIV AIDS Epidemic Brings Calls for... |
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date: Jun 3rd 2006 12:01
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Renewed Efforts to Pass Syringe Access Legislation in New Jersey. 13 Years After Introduction of First Sterile Syringe Access Bill in New Jersey Legislature Has Yet to Act.
Medical and Public Health Experts and Advocates Demand Action on Sterile Syringe Access.
June 5 will mark the 25th anniversary of the emergence of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. On June 25, 1981 an article appeared in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s bulletin, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly, about an unusual cluster of pneumonia cases in five otherwise health gay men. Thus began one of the worst pandemics in human history. Diagnosed first among gay men and injection drug users, the virus was soon found in all segments of the population and in all countries of the world, claiming millions of lives worldwide. And, despite billions of dollars spent on research, a cure for the virus remains elusive.
The best strategy to combat HIV/AIDS remains prevention. But some elected officials have been reluctant to confront HIV/AIDS prevention with the most effective tools available.
“Twenty-five years into the HIV/AIDS epidemic New Jersey stands out for its lack of action when it comes to preventing injection-related HIV/AIDS. Thousands of people have died needlessly. How many more have to die before New Jersey acts?” said Roseanne Scotti of Drug Policy Alliance New Jersey. “No doubt, there will be lots of talk in Trenton about how far we’ve come in the battle against HIV/AIDS. But the real issue is how far we still have to go. The issue everyone should be talking about and that the legislature should be doing something about is sterile syringe access.”
New Jersey has the fifth highest number of adult HIV cases in the country, the third highest number of pediatric HIV cases, and the highest proportion of women infected with HIV. Most significantly, 45 percent of all HIV cases in New Jersey were caused by the sharing of contaminated syringes—twice the national average. About 15,000 New Jerseyans have died from injection-related HIV and another 15,000 are currently living with HIV/AIDS they contracted through a dirty needle. These deaths and infections could have been prevented if sterile syringes had been available to injection drug users.
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article '25th Anniversary of HIV AIDS Epidemic Brings Calls for...' source is Drug Policy Alliance, visit source site:
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