Needle Exchange May Happen Due to HCV/Hepatitis C

The Capital City could soon be the most recent in West Virginia to hop ready regarding a needle trade program following a meeting Wednesday night of the Charleston City Council Rules and Ordinance Committee.

A comparative project to one that has at first seen accomplishment in Huntington and could be actualized in Wheeling this week will be talked about further before the following City Finance meeting on Monday.

"We need to change the bill; we'll have a board of trustees substitute that will restrain what the bill does," said committee President Tom Lane. "We'll have a board of trustees meeting before committee with the goal that it can be taken up at the following chamber meeting on Sept. 21."

Path clarified that as of now ownership of needles is illicit in Charleston, however that would be canceled taking into account the wellbeing division to disperse free needles to heroin addicts. Lt. A.C. Napier with the Charleston Police Department thought the intiative is totally vital.

"We (West Virginia) lead the country in the medication overdose demise rate. The national normal is 13 for each 100,000 individuals and we're at 33.5. We lead the country in new cases Hepatitis B. The national normal is 0.9 we're at 10 for every 100,000," Napier said of the medication emergency. "We're second in Hepatitis C. Every case costs $45,000 to $450,000 on the low end to treat."

Faultfinders of a needle trade project keep up that such an activity advances medication utilization. Napier didn't feel that was a sound contention on the grounds that addicts will infuse heroin regardless of whether a needle is spotless.

"These individuals that are on remedy pills and heroin which is the more serious issue we confront, they couldn't care less in the event that they have a perfect needle," Napier said. "They will get a grimy needle off the road and push into their veins to get heroin. They couldn't care less on the off chance that it's perfect or not."

Path pointed out that each city that has done a needle trade project has seen a drop in sicknesses spread by needle sharing. Napier pointed out that Portsmouth, Ohio had seen a large portion of inhabitants who purchased in grimy needles looked for treatment and passing overdose rates had dropped 30 percent.

"On the off chance that they're going to do it at any rate with a filthy needle, which they are, that is the reason we're in the issue we're in, then I don't believe you're empowering them. I believe you're tending to the wellbeing pestilence. I don't need my officers around here getting stayed with needles, where Hepatitis lives for 63 days."

City Council's Ordinance and Rules Committee will meet again Monday at 6:15 p.m., before City Finance at 6:45 p.m.