Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1998. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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United Press International; Thursday July 16 11:15 PM EDT
Dr. Diane Riley, of the International Harm Reduction Association, says the use of shared needles among young drug addicts is now spreading HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, at an alarming rate.
Riley was speaking today at a conference in Ottawa organized by the Canadian AIDS Society, with delegates from AIDS organizations across Canada attending. Riley says, "We should all be ashamed. We should all act" to limit the spread of HIV among injection drug users.
Riley and other members of the society want Canada to take a leading role in preventing the spread of HIV by distributing clean needles among drug addicts. Delegates have also faulted Health Canada for not acting fast enough to review and approve new AIDS therapy already available in other countries.
Janet Conners, an AIDS victim attending the conference, asked, "How many Canadians will die before the health protection branch will begin to do its job"
She was referring to the fact that many of the older drugs are limited in effectiveness or have serious side effects, and need to be replaced quickly by newer drugs which are more effective.
Conners says she has been allowed to use unapproved drugs, but "if the drugs are not approved" after the review process is completed, the drugs will be withdrawn, "and I will have no treatment options left, and ... I will die." She says that would be the fate of all Canadians currently on unapproved drugs.
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