Lessons of Emergence: HIV, Ebola, Zika, and infectious Diseases of the Future
Moderator: Eleanor Sterling (Center for Biology and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History)
Ernest Drucker (John Jay College, City University of New York)
“The Continued Role of Unsterile Injections in the Adaptation and Dissemination of Emerging Viruses"
The importance of unsterile medical injections and transfusions in the origins and spread of the HIV's and HCV’s is now well established. But with the overuse of addictive opioid pain medications and injectable drugs of abuse - e.g. heroin and cocaine - these risk factors continue to affect both old and newly emerging blood borne pathogens such as Dengue and Zika. As a consequence we are also now seeing new outbreaks of HIV cases and rapidly growing prevalence and diversification of HCV. This presentation will document the basis of these changing global patterns of unsterile injecting and the need for new drug control policies which not based on the criminalization of drug use and the absence of adequate regulations of the markets for prescription opioids.
