The Nation : Anti-AIDS Project Targets Drug Users

The National Institute on Drug Abuse launched a $10-million nationwide community AIDS project to reach inner city intravenous drug abusers, their sexual partners and drug-using prostitutes. Health and Human Services Secretary Otis R. Bowen said project officials will use culturally sensitive methods to quickly reach thousands of individuals at great risk of getting or spreading the acquired immune deficiency syndrome virus. AIDS is transmitted through the exchange of infected bodily fluids, such as blood in contaminated needles shared during drug use. Bowen said comprehensive outreach programs were established in New York, Philadelphia, Miami, Chicago, Houston and San Francisco. More specialized outreach programs will be initiated in several other cities, including Los Angeles.