The Human Immunodeficiency Virus ( Hiv ) Or Acquired...

A major epidemic across the world is the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Accredited with 10% of the HIV cases annually is injection drug use (AIDS.gov, 2014). A study done in 2010 showed that injection drug use affected nearly 47,500 new HIV infections in the United States. With 625 being males and 38% being female. Breaking it down even further, African Americans made up 50% of the newly affecting using injection drugs, Whites 26%, and Latinos/ Hispanics with 21% (CDC.gov, 2015). Injection drug use can spread the HIV virus by any of the following acts: using blood-contaminated syringes to prepare drugs, reusing water, reusing bottle caps, spoons, or other containers (cookers) to†¦show more content†¦A basic response for injection users can be strategies that are aligned with all drug users such as: access to sterile injection and drug preparation equipment; treatment for substance use and mental disorders; opioid substituti on therapy; or counseling (CDC.gov/mmwr, 2015). Helping to provide greater preventative measures for all drug users can potentially reduce the contraction of the HIV/AIDS virus. The townspeople or community might be hesitant to provide assistance for injection drug users. Stigma exists around substance use and abuse especially when it comes to needle-exchange programs. The belief that providing clean needles encourages drug use, rather than discourages needle sharing. Studies done by the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) argues that this response can be dangerous since it ignores other studies that demonstrate how clean needle exchange is an effective took for reducing HIV and hepatitis transmission. This program provides support for the inflected. Through access to counselors, treatment options, or education about safer needle use are all provided all from one program (Sosin, 2012). It can also benefit the larger community of drug users or those how suffer from hepatitis. A program in Rhode Island called ENCORE (Education, Needle Exchange, Counseling, Outreach, and Referrals) is designed for outreach to those at-risk individuals who may not otherwise presen t for prevention,