Syringe exchange programs--United States, 1994-1995.

As of December 1994, approximately one third (35.3%) of the 435,319 cases of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) reported among adults to CDC were associated with injecting-drug use (1). In addition, injection of illegal drugs is the risk behavior most frequently associated with heterosexual and perinatal transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the United States. The goal of syringe exchange programs (SEPs) is to reduce HIV transmission associated with drug injection by providing sterile syringes in exchange for use, potentially HIV-contaminated syringes. This report presents data from a recent survey of U.S. SEPs about their activities during January 1994-April 1995 and compares the findings with those of a 1993 survey (2).