How much is injecting drug use contributing to the spread of HIV in the US?
It is estimated that around 20-30% of HIV infections in the US are directly attributable to intravenous drug use. According to the CDC, 61% of all AIDS cases for women are due to injection drug use or sex with partners who inject drugs. Injection drug use is the source of infection for more than half of all children born with HIV. In North Carolina, injection drug use has been identified as a risk factor in about 25% of reported AIDS cases. The actual number of infections attributable to drug use could be much higher, however, since about 23% of reported cases have an unidentified or unreported risk factor. Injection drug use is also a major mode of transmission for hepatitis B and C. Injection drug use accounts for at least 60% of transmitted cases of hepatitis C and it is estimated that about 90% of all injecting drug users are infected. 8. What are needle exchange programs? Needle exchange programs are an essential component of comprehensive HIV prevention. They are facilities that
