ABSTRACT
Early policy interventions such as the provision of needle exchange and harm minimisation messages, expansion of methadone programmes, major changes in the philosophy surrounding the management of drug misuse from an abstinence orientation to a harm reduction response, are all considered to have contributed to the low levels of HIV currently seen in the UK. As Gerry Stimson concluded, ‘The UK experience adds to the growing evidence of the significance of early interventions in encouraging behaviour change (of injecting drug users) and limiting the spread of HIV…’ (Stimson 1995, p. 713). While the success of preventing an HIV epidemic cannot be attributed solely to needle exchange, it has undoubtedly had a huge impact on the incidence of new HIV infections. Other measures such as health education messages, government media campaigns and access to treatment have all played their part.
