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October 25, 2007
Southeast Asian Drug Busts Fueling New Infections
Police in Southeast Asia are cracking down on intravenous drug users—typically at needle-exchange centers—an effort that, ironically, forces injection drug users to share needles, contributing to the spread of HIV (news.yahoo.com/AFP, 10/24).
“Our policies focus on sending people to jail and treating them as criminals rather than as health problems,” says Precha Knokwan of the Thai Drug Users’ Network.
Due to the underground nature of needle-sharing in Southeast Asia, experts estimate that up to 50 percent of addicts may be carrying the virus.
