Drugs Use and Abuse: Needle Sharing, HIV and Hepatitis
In addition to the range of health related risks in association withaddiction, the two greatest risks for Heroin Injectors is the risk ofacquiring HIV or any number of the deadly and permanent Hepatitis viruses.The risks associated with addiction, poor nutrition, dehydration, reducedkidney and liver function as well as a few others increases the risk of anindividual acquiring, nearly any communicable disease, yet those who areinjecting Heroin also repeatedly directly open their circulatory system tomassive deadly diseases like HIV and Hepatitis. ("The Menace of Heroin," In many places needle sharing has been decreased with awareness andavailability campaigns yet it is clear that the sharing of needles stilloccurs, as the reduced mental functioning of the user, at the height ofaddictive need and in the throws of the high have a reduced sense ofjudgment, just as can be said about any mind altering drug. Yet. One of thebiggest drawbacks to intravenous dangers campaigns is that those who usethe drug believe that the negative effects of it are not as many if theyget the e drug through another means, such as smoking or snorting it. "Between 1992 and 1997, the number of American
These data may reflect the impact of HIV prevention activities in these areas where the perceived risk of acquiring the virus is greater. Thestudy concludes that this must in part be because of the education andneedle exchange programs that are more readily available in high riskareas. Yet, if they are not given this opportunity they become andeven larger burden on society not only are they high and often dependant onsocial services (Riley et al. Though needle programs are controversial andoften underutilized they serve a very important role in the chain ofprevention. Lack of health insurance coverage has been identified as the primary obstacle preventing entry into drug treatment programs, and a predictor of incomplete treatment. Within the high seroprevalence regions, a similarly high percentage of African Americans (65%) and Hispanics (66%) report using a new needle "always" or "more than half the time," while whites report less use of new needles (51%). Additionally, it is noted that in high risk areas, or those called highseroprevalence regions drug users are more likely to use new needles. Despite the ethnic group of comparison, IDUs in the high seroprevalence regions report higher frequencies ("always" and "more than half the time" combined) of the use of new needles than their low seroprevalence counterparts. The detrimental effects of use itself are great enoughbut with the additional burden of unavailable needles more users are likelyto share and reuse needles and therefore increase risk of permanent diseaseor damage from drug use. , 2002) but when they fall down and hit theirhead on the street they are putting every person who comes in contact withthem at risk. [21,23-26] Even when health insurance covers drug treatment, coverage is often limited, which can further contribute to incomplete treatment.
Common topics in this essay:
Menace Heroin,
Baltimore IDUs,
African Americans,
HIV Hepatitis,
Heroin Injectors,
Brown Beschner,
,
seroprevalence regions,
risk acquiring,
hiv hepatitis,
et al,
health insurance,
using needle half,
needle exchange programs,
using needle,
riley et,
acquiring hiv,
percentage african americans,
low seroprevalence,
needle half,
risk acquiring hiv,
et al 2002,
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Acceptance Essays
