TY  - JOUR
T1  - INtravenous drug users and human immunodeficiency virus testing and counseling
AU  - Lampinen T, Wiebel W, Watters JK
Y1  - 1989/09/08
N1  - 10.1001/jama.1989.03430100065027
JO  - JAMA
SP  - 1331
EP  - 1331
VL  - 262
IS  - 10
N2  - To the Editor.— 
    Curtis et al1 present evidence that voluntary human immunodeficiency virus antibody testing and counseling for intravenous (IV) drug users is a desirable addition to methadone maintenance treatment programs. However, we are concerned by the authors' conclusion that "in the current year 89.8% of our sample reported no needle sharing, which certainly would argue against a plan to give clean needles or bleach."The needle-sharing potential of clients who relapse after methadone maintenance therapy and those currently in treatment is high. Clients in treatment represent only 15% of the estimated 1.1 to 1.3 million IV drug abusers in this country, 70% to 90% of whom are thought to share injection equipment.2 Interviews with more than 1700 active IV drug abusers recruited into our study by community-based acquired immunodeficiency syndrome outreach educators in five cities indicate that many active users not in treatment report prior methadone maintenance
SN  - 0098-7484
M3  - doi: 10.1001/jama.1989.03430100065027
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.1989.03430100065027
ER  -