Drug abuse fuels spread of AIDS

Nigeria's National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has called for greater focus on the devastating link between HIV/AIDS and drug abuse. NDLEA chairman Alhaji Bello Lafiaji said despite the country's existing HIV/AIDS awareness programmes, not much was known about the spread of HIV through drug abuse. He warned that substance abuse often led to loss of inhibition, which created a tendency to engage in risky sexual behaviour. "Scientific and empirical evidence has shown that substance abuse contributes to the spread of HIV/AIDS by enhancing risky sexual behaviour, such as seeking gratification without due protection, and sharing of unsterilised needles by injecting drug users," Lafiaji was quoted as saying by a local newspaper, the Vanguard.