Nasal Naloxone

Some more information on the potential nasal administration of naloxone. The site has a review of current literature on the topic, treatment protocol, recommendations and links to useful teaching materials.

http://www.intranasal.net/OpiateOverdose/default.htm

Nasal Naloxone

See the below website for a summary of some recent evidence that indicates that naloxone administered through a nasal spray has the same effectivess in averting overdose death as compared to naloxone administered by needle (i.e. intramuscular injection).

http://updates.pain-topics.org/2009/12/intranasal-naloxone-overcoming-opioid.html

PSI programs distributing naloxone should consider if switching to nasal sprays is a practical, affordable, acceptable option for their intervention sites.

Contact me (robgray@laopdr.com) or Petra (pstankard@psi.org) for more information.

Rob

How to use a tourniquet

The Blog "Injecting Advice" has a useful 1 page outline on how to properly use a tourniquet to inject more safely. See:

http://www.injectingadvice.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=147:tourniquet30nov&catid=28:the-basics&Itemid=53

The BLOG itself is useful - you may want to consider signing up, or sharing it with your English-speaking team members.

Rob

New report on ATS use in Asia

UNODC has released a new report on ATS use in Asia - Patterns and Trends of Amphetamine-Type Stimulants and Other Drugs in East and South-East Asia, 2009.

With heroin use generally on the decline in Asia, increasingly our programs are (or will probably be) seeing ATS users. The tools to work with ATS users are often different. Methadone or other substitution therapry does not work with ATS users, for example. But ATS is, increasingly, injected - so NSP programs are likely to be part of the regional response to ATS use.

The report includes useful summaries of the ATS situation, country-by-country. Find the report at:

http://www.unodc.org/documents/eastasiaandpacific//2009/11/ats-report/2009_Patterns_and_Trends.pdf

Global Fund Grants and Procurement of Harm Reduction Supplies in Eastern Europe and Central Asia - new report

Support from the Global Fund has been instrumental in increasing the availability of harm reduction services and supplies, such as clean needles and syringes. However, harm reduction organizations in the region are confronting an influx of poor quality supplies that threatens the success of their programs. Improving the quality of supplies is an important step toward an effective and sustainable HIV response. This report, by the Open Society Institute’s Public Health Program, evaluates Global Fund grants and procurement practices in Armenia, Georgia, Russia, and Tajikistan. In each country, needles and syringes have been procured that drug users do not find usable because, for example, they may be the wrong size or type.

The report is at:

http://www.idpc.net/sites/default/files/library/bbewareeng_20091001.pdf?utm_source=IDPC+Monthly+Alert&utm_campaign=07ccee116a-IDPC_November_Alert11_24_2009&utm_medium=email

Women, Harm Reduction and HIV. Report from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Ukraine

Women who use drugs face a dual challenge: they are more vulnerable to both sexually and injection-transmitted HIV infection than male drug users, and they encounter greater obstacles to accessing the services they need. This report, by the Open Society Institute’s International Harm Reduction Development Program, summarizes the results of field assessments of women’s access to harm reduction, antiretroviral, and reproductive health services in five countries: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Ukraine.

The report is at:

http://idpc.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7988ee3f817fe418a60a5e9ec&id=8406274fc8&e=0daf2fdf1e

Global Fund Extension of HIV Prevention Programmes for People at High Risk for HIV in Russia

The International AIDS Society (IAS) and the International Harm Reduction Association (IHRA) today welcomed the announcement by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) to extend by two years its funding of HIV prevention programmes (known as the GLOBUS grant) in the Russian Federation at a cost of US$24 million. “This two-year extension will save thousands of lives,” said Robin Gorna, IAS Executive Director. “While this decision is very welcome, it is nevertheless a band-aid measure, not a long-term solution. External funding cannot prop up Russia’s HIV response forever. The onus is still on the Russian Government to listen to the science and 20 years of proven practice and put in place long-term harm reduction prevention programmes that will save tens of thousands of young Russian lives”.

More info at:

http://idpc.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=7988ee3f817fe418a60a5e9ec&id=4941841a63&e=0daf2fdf1e