Blog series on global AIDS blueprint features post about harm reduction

Nov 8 2012

As part of its "Blueprint" series discussing the creation of a U.S. global AIDS blueprint called for by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in July, the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog features a guest post by Allan Clear, executive director of the Harm Reduction Coalition, in which he highlights an existing "WHO, UNODC, UNAIDS Technical Guide [.pdf] for countries to set targets for universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care for injecting drug users." The guide "outlines nine interventions that, if implemented, could stop HIV in its tracks," he says, writing, "At minimum, I would add two other interventions to that list: outreach to drug users and overdose prevention and response programs. After all, why work with populations at risk of contracting HIV only to have them die from drug overdoses?" (Barton, 11/6).