MOSCOW (AP) — On a frigid evening on the outskirts of Moscow, two HIV-prevention activists unzip backpacks, pull out packs of hypodermic needles and start discretely approaching people leaving a nearby pharmacy with an offer that could save their lives.
So-called harm reduction programs — which distribute clean needles and condoms as well as provide methadone substitution therapy — are shown to reduce the spread of diseases such as HIV.
[…] the Russian government has refused to fund such initiatives, saying this approach to treatment enables addicts to continue living their dangerous lifestyle.
In 2009, Russia was supposed to take over the work …read more
Source: San Francisco Chronicle