Over 100 community clinics devoted to the rehabilitation of
heroin addicts have been established in China since 2003.
A national conference designed to raise awareness of methadone
treatment for heroin addiction in Wuhan, capital of central China's
Hubei Province, heard yesterday that trial operations of the
clinics covering 21 provinces and autonomous regions were
carried-out in an attempt to reduce drug abuse and prevent the
spread of HIV/AIDS.
According to an expert from the Chinese Center for Disease
Control and Prevention (CCDCP),
who spoke at the meeting, China will approve the establishment of
another batch of the small-sized medical facilities this year. A
total of 128 clinics have already received the green light to begin
full operations following their trial sessions since 2003.
Drug injections are seen as a key route for the spread of AIDS.
It's estimated that over 40 percent of AIDS patients and HIV virus
carriers in China, which was reported to be 650,000 in China last
year, were infected via contaminated needles.
Wang Xiangdong, an official with China's anti-drugs agency, said
the project was an important part of the country's campaign to
reduce the impact of drugs. Public security departments would
cooperate in verifying the profiles of heroin users which is a
requirement to get access to treatment and supervising them.
?
Methadone is synthetic and works by occupying the brain receptor
sites affected by heroin and other opiates. The treatment has
addicts receiving daily doses of Methadone helping drug
users??reduce or quit their drug
habit.?
China's methadone treatment campaign is aimed at cutting the
size of the country's drug markets, reducing or stopping the use of
needles and cutting down the risk of contracting or transmitting
diseases such as AIDS.
The programs also aim to curb the criminal activities of the
addicts, increase their employment potential and to assist restore
stable family lives.
(CRI March 27, 2006)