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          In the United States, it is estimated that over half of all HIV infections can be attributed to the sharing of needles among drug users. Sharing needles can also be responsible for various other threatening diseases such as chronic liver disease. Needle Exchange Programs, or NEPs, need to be implemented in order to secure safe distribution and disposal of needles. NEPs also offer services to aid users in drug addiction treatment and HIV testing.  Currently, there are 113 NEPs in the United States and each area can report a successful decline in HIV cases and no rise in injection frequency numbers (Lurie and DeCarlo, 1998). Along the same lines, systems in Switzerland's prisons have implemented the distribution of sterile needles and have also found a decline in the number of HIV cases.

New Jersey is targeted for the implementation of a needle exchange. New Jersey has a very high level of HIV infection by drug users and currently requires a prescription for syringe purchase. The proposal for a NEP in New Jersey has been stuck on the desks of officials for many years (HIV/AIDS in New Jersey, 2002).

The reality is that this world faces a HIV/AIDS epidemic. Since 1981, over 25 million people have died from AIDS. Something must be done to fight the enormity of this disease, and NEPs are at least a step in the right direction for harm reduction and HIV prevention. Please, explore this site to learn more about the effective NEPs and what they can do for this world.

(Picture Source: http://www.tpan.com/publications/pa/jul_aug_05/images/united_states.gif)