| Is it true that if you do drugs you will catch AIDS? | It’s true in part: by sharing needles you can catch a host of diseases, one of which is HIV (which could evolve into AIDS), others being hepatitis B and C (which could cause Cirrhosis of and tumors in the liver). |
| So you can resolve the problem by not sharing needles? | No, even using needles more than once increases the risk of serious infection, in particular endocarditis from a bacteria or fungus. Also within the addiction community the rate of HIV infection is growing due to unprotected sexual encounters. |
| Is hepatitis C dangerous?. | Hepatitis C becomes cronic in 80% of the cases; the risk of Cirrhosis is 20% within 20 years if contamination and the percentage increases with the consumption of alcohol |
| How do you catch Hepatitis C? | Using a syringe, it is one of the few viruses that you are able to contract without sharing needles. It is also one of the most common diseases among addicts (at least 80%), and the quickest to diffuse (most catch it within the first year of doing drugs). |
| Is there a cure for HIV? | Today there is effective therapies, even if all they can do is slow the evolution of the virus, that help our immunological deffences, but are unable to eliminate the virus.The problems with these therapies are: they have alot of serious side effects, the medicines have to be taken for a long or indeterminat amout of time, and over time people tend to take their medicines at irregular intervals negating their effectiveness. The adherance to the time tables of these medicines is a particular problem for addicts and alcoholics. |
| Does living in the community with people infected with HIV raise the risk of contraction? | No, in over 20 years of observation nobody has ever been infected while undertaking the therapeutic program of the community. This helps show that the virus can only be transmitted by sharing needles and having unprotected sex, and that living with someone ( sharing the same dinning hall, bedroom, bath, swimming pool or gym) doesn’t pose a significant risk of contracting it. The risk of contraction via needles doesn’t exist in the community because there are no drugs, the risk of contraction via sexual intercourse isn’t a problem either, because stable couples if the need arises are able to procure condoms from the internal pharmacy. |
| And for Hepatitis C? | Even for this virus we have not seen any cases of contraction in over 20 years; and, different to HIV the chances of contracting it sexually are very low. |
| Is it possible to cure HIV while in community? | In the Community of San Patrignano ther’s a medical center specialized in the treatment of HIV, AIDS and other medical complications of drug addiction. The medication used is the same as those prescribed in the departments of Infectious Diseases. Scientific studies have shown that, in Community, the treatment effectiveness is higher than in other contexts, given that an adjusted life and the help of others, allows pharmaceutical therapies, a better adherence. |
