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Sterile Injection Equipment To Prevent HIV Infection
- Josiah D. Rich, MD, MPH;
- Scott Burris, JD; and
- Peter Lurie, MD, MPH
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IN RESPONSE:
Dr. Robertson's eloquent letter makes an important point not made in our article, namely that in many parts of the world, whether by physicians, pharmacists, or public health workers, provision of sterile syringes to injection drug users is viewed as good medical practice. His letter highlights the gulf between the policies of the United States and the rest of the industrialized world on this issue. Moreover, he also points out that in the United Kingdom, there have been no reports of needlestick disease transmission as a result of improperly discarded syringes outside of the workplace. We are also unaware of any such cases of HIV transmission in the United States or elsewhere. The important experiences of our colleagues abroad should further reassure U.S. physicians of the appropriateness of prescribing syringes to injection drug users to prevent the spread of HIV and hepatitis B and C viruses.
Josiah D. Rich, MD, MPH
Scott Burris, JD
Peter Lurie, MD, MPH
Brown University School of Medicine; Providence, RI 02905
- Copyright ©2004 by the American College of Physicians
