HIV Cases Surge in Massachusetts
HIV and AIDS have been around for years and caused one of the worst public health crises our country, save the world, has ever seen. In the 80’s and 90’s the AIDS epidemic had our nation locked in a grip of fear. Misconceptions and false information made matters worse and some people thought you could contract the deadly disease just by coming into casual physical contact with an infected person. The current opioid epidemic is not unlike the AIDS crisis. Misconceptions and false information follow that crisis as well, like the idea that you could overdose by merely touching fentanyl. We see this huge, scary monster basically infecting, our kids, parents, and other loved ones and being afflicted by addiction, to some, is basically a death sentence. So many people are dying on a daily basis by acrylfentanyl, carfentanil, and other analogues that find their way into the heroin supply. As the opioid crisis picked up steam, it seems as though the AIDS epidemic slowed down or at least the attention went elsewhere. With IV drug use running rampant through most communities nationwide, we’re starting to see spikes in new HIV infections.
In Lowell, MA, new HIV infections are rising at a horrifying rate. From 2016 to 2017, the numbers reported by the Massachusetts Department of Public health jumped from 3 new cases of HIV infections to 24. That’s an enormous increase, which is highly alarming and dirty needles are what’s being blamed for the new cases of HIV in the area. Luckily, the Life Connections Center in Lowell recently opened a needle exchange program where addicts can exchange their dirty, used equipment for clean needles. What this will do is cut back needle sharing between addicts, reducing not only new HIV infections but Hepatitis C as well.
“By giving people clean needles, we’re giving them an opportunity to decrease their chances of getting HIV or Hepatitis C,” said Amanda Shaw, director of recovery coaching and outreach at the Lowell House.
I think the answer here isn’t in needle exchanges and other forms of harm reduction. To stop the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C, we need to get people clean and off drugs. We need to get them to stop shooting up because, when they do, there’s the likelihood that they’re going to share needles and when one person is infected, a bunch more get sick. The answer here is in long-term, residential drug rehab. Programs that help get to the core root of what’s going on with someone and make them deal with their issues once and for all. Then we have a chance of stopping the spread of addiction and disease. That’s how we’ll beat this thing.
Sources Used:
https://www.fox25boston.com/news/opioid-related-hiv-cases-spike-in-lowell/719532334
