How does a needle exchange operate?
Needle exchange schemes provide access to sterile syringes and other injecting equipment such as swabs and sterile water to reduce the risk of IDUs coming into contact with other users’ blood. Needle exchange programmes that offer safe syringe access may be run by NGOs, hospitals or medical facilities, and local or national governments. Needles may be provided at drop-in centres, outreach points or from vans that service different points within a city or area. In some places, vending machines are used to distribute needles, functioning as a 24-hour service when other sites are shut.
