The Deadly Streets

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

The Deadly Streets

Maclean's (12/08/97) Vol. 110, No. 49, P. 32
Hunter, Jennifer

Abstract: Blood Alley is the nickname of an area on the east side of downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, that has become a haven for the city's intravenous drug users, most of whom are HIV- positive. It has been identified by AIDS researchers as having the highest rate of new HIV infections in North America. In the first six months of 1997, the HIV infection rate in the area was 17 percent, with over 40 percent of the estimated 8,000 IDUs in the downtown Eastside infected with the disease. Researchers were initially unable to explain the rapid increase in the rate of infection in early 1996, then discovered that drug users were beginning to inject cocaine. While heroin users need an average of three "doses" a day to stay high, cocaine users require at least 20 daily fixes, which means that more needles are being shared. Needle- exchange programs, no matter how extensive, could not supply the 10 million needles that would be needed to avoid the sharing of syringes there. Local volunteers said that most people infected with HIV are afraid to admit it, fearing physical attacks by people--including other drug users--who see them as a threat. The HIV infection rate has reached such epic proportions that the Vancouver/Richmond Health Board declared a public emergency in late October. Canada's federal and provincial governments have allocated Canadian $4 million- -plus an additional C$700,000 from the health board--to fight the epidemic through outreach programs, better staff training, and more access to health services.

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