Strategies to optimize the impact of needle exchange programs

In the United States today, half of all new HIV infections are injection drug use-associated, many of which are a result of the reuse and sharing of contaminated syringes. Thus, providing access to sterile syringes for injection drug users is an important part of preventing HIV transmission. Needle exchange programs (NEPs) have been established as one successful approach to providing sterile injection equipment. The medical literature shows that these programs are effective in decreasing both syringe sharing and HIV incidence in injection drug users. In addition, many NEPs are also beneficial because they provide other injection drug use-relevant services. There are several strategies that can be adopted in order to optimize the impact of needle exchange programs, at both the community and national levels. These include establishing NEPs in communities that need them, expanding and improving those that already exist, and implementing such programs on a larger national scale with the provision of federal funds.