Health Emergency 1997: The Spread of Drug-Related AIDS Among African Americans and Latinos

The document, produced by an American research activist, provides information on social and risk factors associated with the spread of injection-related AIDS among African-Americans, Latinos and young adults. The author highlights the health risks that apply to different groups and argues that access to sterile needles would substantially reduce the spread of AIDS among injection drug users. The paper compares the high cost of treating AIDS to the low cost of clean-needle programs, provides scientific evidence for the efficacy of these programs, and includes an account of the historical evolution of clean-needle programs. The author concludes with a question and answer section that addresses the "hard questions" about clean-needle programs. The author also provides suggestions for future actions which include a recommendation that the US government fund these programs.