Drug Use and its Relation to HIV, STDs, and High-Risk behavior

Overview:  While it is commonly known that intravenous drug use is correlated with HIV, other drugs (especially Methamphetamine) also increase the probability of acquiring HIV and other diseases as well.  This section reviews these aspects of drug use and others. Finally, the section provides some information related to needle exchange and harm reduction programs.

Goals.  This section is designed to provide you with information about drug use and its impact on high-risk behavior.  It also is designed to offer some potential but controversial solutions such as needle exchange programs.  I will also provide some links to other sites that provide information on different drugs and drug terminology people use.

Objective:  Understand and describe the health and behavioral problems related to substance use including the transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS, TB, STDs and other infectious diseases.

Readings

Why Drug Injection is a Risk for Acquiring HIV
How Injection Users can Reduce Their Risk for Acquiring HIV
Methamphetamine Use and Risk for HIV
HIV Prevention for Injection Drug Users (IDUs)  This excellent overview article includes good information on drug use, injection, and prevention and other issues.  Focus your attention on Parts 1 and 2 for this topic area but briefly scan the other sections for future reference. 

http://www.cdc.gov/idu/

Here are other articles that are related to interventions with IDUs.
Interventions for HIV/AIDS in Drug Users
Access to Sterile Needles
Needle Exchange Programs
Physician Prescriptions for Sterile Needles
MMWR Report Report on Needle Exchange Programs

Tasks:

1.      Review the CDC website and the statistics about injection drug use and HIV.

2.      Read the article:  HIV prevention for IDUS.

3.      Read the articles on needle exchange.  Then write a reaction paper (one page) to the concept of needle exchange.  Use the articles and others to support your opinion.  Then send it to your instructor.

4.      Look up and read a paper on harm reduction. What is it?  One name to use in your search is Marlatt.  This is a model that is being pushed by public health officials.  Once you have reviewed the topic, write another paper on this model.  Should such an approach be implemented on a large scale? Share your thoughts on these issues with your classmates in the on-line Discussion for Topic 7.

 

Resources:

Here are two other articles published by the Surgeon General’s office.  They should help you with your reaction paper.

http://www.harmreduction.org/issues/policy/

http://www.harmreduction.org/heroin_info.htm

Here is some general information and links on Substance Abuse

Substance Abuse Treatment

Information on Drug Abuse from NIDA   

 

Discussion for Topic 7.