This volume addresses the interface of two major national problems: the epidemic of HIV-AIDS and the widespread use of illegal injection drugs. Should communities have the option of giving drug users sterile needles or bleach for cleaning needs in order to reduce the spread of HIV? Does needle distribution worsen the drug problem, as opponents of such programs argue? Do they reduce the spread of other serious diseases, such as hepatitis? Do they result in more used needles being carelessly discarded in the community? The panel takes a critical look at the available data on needle exchange and bleach distribution programs, reaches conclusions about their efficacy, and offers concrete recommendations for public policy to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS. The book includes current knowledge about the epidemiologies of HIV/AIDS and injection drug use; characteristics of needle exchange and bleach distribution programs and views on those programs from diverse community groups; and a discussion of laws designed to control possession of needles, their impact on needle sharing among injection drug users, and their implications for needle exchange programs.
Intravenous drug users account for nearly one-third of the current AIDS cases in the United States--second only to gay males--and are responsible for 72 percent of female and 59 percent of pediatric cases of AIDS. Thus the National Institute of Drug Abuse launched a major effort in 1987 to locate hidden users and to see how they function and to evaluate strategies and community-based programs in 50 cities and 60 nearby communities around the country in order to lower risks to IV users and to reduce the dangers that they pose to others in the population. Brown and Beschner present the very latest findings and come to well-tested conclusions about how to change behaviors positively. This handbook is written for use in college, university, and professional libraries and for students, teachers, policymakers, and practitioners in public health service and in public policy at all governmental levels to study carefully. Brown and Beschner open with an introduction showing how injection drug users and their sexual partners are at risk for aids. Part I describes the spread of AIDS in the United States and Puerto Rico. Part II depicts patterns of injection drug and crack use and their effect on sex partners. Part III deals with gender issues. Part IV goes into demographic and background factors. Part V discusses key issues in the use of drug abuse treatment. Part VI analyzes outreach and behavior change strategies. And Part VI looks into how risk can be reduced as a result of outreach and specific intervention strategies. The final chapter comes to some conclusions about the effectiveness of various interventions by the National AIDS Demonstration Research Project. Background readings also add to the importance of this major reference.
The AIDS virus is spread by human behaviors enacted in a variety of social situations. In order to prevent further infection, we need to know more about these behaviors. This volume explores what is known about the number of people infected, risk-associated behaviors, facilitation of behavioral change, and barriers to more effective prevention efforts.
Global Virology, Volume III: Virology in the 21st Century examines work that has been undertaken, or is planned, in several fields of virology, in an effort to promote current and future work, research, and health. Fields and methods addressed include virology, immunology, space research, astrovirology/astrobiology, plasmids, swarm intelligence, bioinformatics, data-mining, machine learning, neural networks, critical equations, and advances in biohazard biocontainment. Novel and forward-looking methods, techniques, and approaches in research and development are presented by experts in the field.
"Brings together leading and emerging researchers to advance understanding of the complex relationships between homelessness and health. Covering a wide range of topics from youth homelessness to end-of-life care, contributors outline policy and practice recommendations to respond to this public health crisis."--Back cover.
Europe's "Black Death" contributed to the rise of nation states, mercantile economies, and even the Reformation. Will the AIDS epidemic have similar dramatic effects on the social and political landscape of the twenty-first century? This readable volume looks at the impact of AIDS since its emergence and suggests its effects in the next decade, when a million or more Americans will likely die of the disease. The Social Impact of AIDS in the United States addresses some of the most sensitive and controversial issues in the public debate over AIDS. This landmark book explores how AIDS has affected fundamental policies and practices in our major institutions, examining: How America's major religious organizations have dealt with sometimes conflicting values: the imperative of care for the sick versus traditional views of homosexuality and drug use. Hotly debated public health measures, such as HIV antibody testing and screening, tracing of sexual contacts, and quarantine. The potential risk of HIV infection to and from health care workers. How AIDS activists have brought about major change in the way new drugs are brought to the marketplace. The impact of AIDS on community-based organizations, from volunteers caring for individuals to the highly political ACT-UP organization. Coping with HIV infection in prisons. Two case studies shed light on HIV and the family relationship. One reports on some efforts to gain legal recognition for nonmarital relationships, and the other examines foster care programs for newborns with the HIV virus. A case study of New York City details how selected institutions interact to give what may be a picture of AIDS in the future. This clear and comprehensive presentation will be of interest to anyone concerned about AIDS and its impact on the country: health professionals, sociologists, psychologists, advocates for at-risk populations, and interested individuals.
Introduction: a theory of abuse -- Intimate apartheid -- Falling in love -- A community of addicted bodies -- Childhoods -- Making money -- Parenting -- Male love -- Everyday addicts -- Treatment -- Conclusion: critically applied public anthropology.
The essential newly-expanded reference that needs to be on the desk of every health care professional who encounters substance abusers. Handbook of the Medical Consequences of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Second Edition is the newly-updated classic reference text that provides even more detailed and expanded information on the pharmacological, toxicological, and neuropsychological consequences of alcohol and drug abuse. Eight new chapters of crucial information have been added. Written by leading experts in the fields of medical physiology, psychopharmacology, and neuropsychology, this valuable resource provides the detailed alcohol and drug information health professionals in all fields need to know. Handbook of the Medical Consequences of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Second Edition greatly expands on the expert information provided in the first edition. This text provides reviews of the cardiovascular, neurological, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, psychological, and hepatic effects of commonly abused drugs. The book also provides in-depth explanations of the mechanisms by which these psychoactive drugs exert their biobehavioral effects as well as current thinking about—and definitions of—abuse, dependence, and alcohol/drug use. The Handbook of the Medical Consequences of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Second Edition includes vital information on: alcohol, including definitions of alcohol use, abuse, and dependence the relationship between alcohol and accidental injuries, alcohol’s effect on skeletal and major organ systems, and its effect on risk factors for certain cancers effects of alcohol and other drugs on neuropsychological function the effects of alcohol on neuron signaling, neurotransmitter function, and alcoholic brain damage and cognitive dysfunction fetal alcohol effects chronic effects of marijuana use on psychological and physical health, including a fair and balanced discussion of the medical marijuana issue the consequences of opiate abuse and methadone pharmacotherapy, including a comparison of the effects of methadone and heroin on organ systems cocaine’s history, the various forms of the drug, and the adverse effects of cocaine on cardiovascular, neurologic, and pulmonary systems the medical consequences of inhalants ranging from benzene to xylene the prenatal effects of nicotine, cocaine, marijuana, and opiates terminology that appears in the current literature on alcohol New topics in the Handbook of the Medical Consequences of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Second Edition include chapters discussing: chemical dependency in psychiatric patients medical consequences of steroids OTC medications hallucinogens health effects of tobacco, nicotine, and exposure to tobacco smoke interactions of alcohol with other drugs and other medications periodontal effects of alcohol and drug abuse in the oral cavity imaging studies of structural brain changes The Handbook of the Medical Consequences of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Second Edition is an invaluable resource for physicians, scientists, nurses, psychologists, and alcohol and drug counselors.
