Al Jazeera: Malaysia: Halting HIV and drug use with compassion
“Outreach workers armed with sterile needles, condoms, and screw caps patrol the narrow river that marks Malaysia’s northern border with Thailand, looking for men from both countries who gather there to take drugs. … The workers are the front line in Malaysia’s 10-year-old harm reduction program that has helped curb a disturbing rise in HIV infections among injecting drug users. Cooperation between health officials, civil society groups, and the police has also eased widespread skepticism about needle exchanges and the provision of methadone treatment for people addicted to drugs…” (Mayberry, 10/27).