Use Evidence-Based Outcomes on Harm Reduction to Prevent New HIV Infections, Lancet Editorial Says

A Lancet editorial highlights a document released during the 22nd International Harm Reduction Conference, which is taking place in Beirut, Lebanon, this week, saying it "sets out how the international community has failed people who inject drugs and the actions now required by governments." According to the Lancet, "Crucially, evidence-based programmes ... targeting the 16 million people who inject drugs worldwide need to be financed, implemented, and scaled up across all settings to prevent and treat HIV infection. Ineffective drug policies also need to end, funding for harm reduction needs to be vastly increased, and vulnerable groups who inject drugs ... need access to integrated health and harm-reduction services." The editorial calls for implementation of the recommendations "in the new global declaration on HIV/AIDS" set to be discussed at the U.N. High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS in June. According to the Lancet, "it is wholly immoral to let people become infected with HIV or die when evidence-based interventions exist to prevent these outcomes. A bold and humane response is needed from governments at the June meeting and beyond. Millions of lives are at stake" (4/4).

Back to other news for April 2011