Full Article by Lauren Peace | Mountain State Spotlight
Charleston’s HIV outbreak is now one of the most concerning in the nation, according to the CDC — with Kanawha County recording nearly as many injection-related HIV cases in 2020 as New York City, a place nearly 50 times larger.
The CDC’s Dr. Demetre Daskalakis is urging immediate action: expand syringe access, improve treatment outreach, and halt the criminalization of harm reduction.
But Charleston leaders are moving in the opposite direction, debating a bill that would make it harder — even criminal — to distribute clean syringes, despite the science and despite a rapidly growing crisis.
As grassroots group SOAR and other harm reduction advocates scramble to fill the gaps left by shuttered programs, the stakes could not be clearer.
