The shared use of syringes and needles was recognized as being associated with HIV transmission among injecting drug users at the onset of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Commonly referred to as syringe sharing or needle sharing, it involves two or more drug users sequentially using the same needle and/or syringe in order to inject a dose of liquefied drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, amphetamines or bupr...

This article describes the secondary syringe exchange (SSE) practices of injection drug users (IDUs) attending 23 syringe exchange programs (SEPs) in the state of California during 2002 (n=539). The sample was primarily heroin injecting, about two thirds male, half White and half other racial/ethnic groups. Participants were interviewed with a structured questionnaire that included items on soc...

The shared use of syringes and needles was recognized as being associated with HIV transmission among injecting drug users at the onset of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Commonly referred to as syringe sharing or needle sharing, it involves two or more drug users sequentially using the same needle and/or syringe in order to inject a dose of liquefied drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, amphetamines or bupr...

BACKGROUND Syringe-dispensing machines (SDM) provide syringes at any time even to hard-to-reach injecting drug users (IDUs). They represent an important harm reduction strategy in large populated urban areas such as Paris. We analyzed the performance of one of the world's largest SDM schemes based in Paris over 12 years to understand its efficiency and its limitations, to answer public and stak...

BACKGROUND Network analyses have been widely utilized to evaluate large datasets, but have not yet been used to explore factors associated with risk behaviours. In combination with traditional regression analysis, network analyses may provide useful information and highlight key factors for reducing needle sharing behaviours among people who inject drugs (PWID). METHODS Sociodemographic data,...

no difficulty was experienced in injecting the solution with a 10 c.c. glass serum syringe. The veins of the arm were constricted by a bandage or the hand of an assistant and the forearm massaged upwards until the veins became prominent. The needle was pushed into the vein and a little blood allowed to flow into the syringe to make certain that the needle was in the vein. After the solution had...

This is the first comprehensive international review of the evidence for needle syringe programmes. The major, and now overwhelmingly strong, finding is that needle syringe programmes reduce HIV transmission effectively, safely and cost effectively. The size of the benefit is substantial. There is compelling evidence that needle syringe programmes reduce HIV incidence and HIV prevalence by redu...