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 Minnesota AIDS Project
1400 Park Avenue S Minneapolis, MN 55404 Tel: 612-341-2060 Fax: 612-341-4057 info@mnaidsproject.org TTY Metro: 612-373-2465 TTY State: 888-820-2437 Privacy Policy HIV/AIDS Content Notice Site Map Account Login |
How to Keep Yourself Safe 1. Preventing Sexual Transmission 2. Preventing Transmission During Substance Use 3. Preventing Transmission Through Pregnancy 4. Preventing Transmission in Occupational and Controlled Settings Preventing Transmission During Substance Use Abstinence HIV can be transmitted through the use of a contaminated syringe or equipment when injecting drugs, or can be transmitted through other risks taken as a result of impaired judgment as a result of drug or alcohol abuse. One way to protect your self from HIV infection is to abstain from injecting drugs or alcohol use. Current users or those who may be at risk for substance use abuse may choose to find support from treatment programs or other sources. Risk Reduction Risk reduction, or what some refer to as harm reduction practices when it comes to injecting drugs means never getting another person's blood into your body. It also means never letting your blood get into theirs. The risk of this happening can be reduced if you: 1. Do not share syringes or other equipment Always use a new syringe and use it one time only. If you have to reuse, only use your own. Don't share. If you have no other options but to share a syringe, clean it and all of your equipment with water, then sterilize it with full strength bleach making sure the bleach stays in contact with the barrel for a full 30 seconds. Rinse the bleach out thoroughly with water. If no bleach is available, rubbing alcohol or hard liquor (whiskey, vodka, gin, etc.-NOT beer or wine) can be used to clean the needle. The liquor used to clean the needle should not be drunk or injected. If you are using a cooker to cook or mix your drugs, or cotton to filter, never share those either. Blood gets caught in both and HIV can be transmitted to another user. Also, never share rinse water. If you are sharing drugs, divide them before injecting. 2. Always use a new syringe when injecting drugs If you inject drugs, illegal or legal, it is recommended that a new syringe be used each time, and that the syringe is used only once. Neither you nor another person should reuse the syringe. In Minnesota, it is legal to possess ten or fewer clean syringes. Most Minnesota pharmacies will sell clean syringes in "ten packs" to any individual. You can call MAP AIDSLine to get the names of pharmacies near you that sell syringes and accept used syringes. Click here for more information on MAP's syringe and needle access. Last Updated:
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Content Notice: This site contains HIV prevention messages that may not be appropriate for all audiences. Since HIV infection is spread primarily though sexual practices or by sharing needles, prevention messages and programs may address these topics. If you are not seeking such information or materials, please exit this Web site. |
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