Has the harm reduction approach to HIV/AIDS prevention been evaluated?
Over the years there have been numerous evaluations of needle exchange programs in New York City and throughout the world. The overwhelming consensus among researchers and public health officials is that needle exchange has been proven to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS and other blood borne diseases without increasing drug use. (See our “Resources” page for more information about research findings). In 1992, 50% of intravenous drug users (IDUs) in New York City were HIV positive and 4% were infected per year. By 2002, after a decade of needle exchange, 18% of IDUs were HIV positive and the infection rate had dropped to 1% per year. There is also a growing body of research that shows that harm reduction programs like PHP make a positive difference in the lives of participants overall. For example a 2004 study which closely examined the experiences of 200 clients of a Bronx-based agency very similar to PHP concluded: “The present study, though preliminary in nature, provides positive resu
