A special hospital within the prison to provide comprehensive treatment for injecting drug user inmates. This is one of the measures considered by the ministry of Health in the context of a HIV/AIDS action plan. This plan comes after observations regarding the rate of HIV infection and a shift in the mode of transmission.

Heterosexual transmission has been the most common way of transmission worldwide but the trend may be reversed. Over 80% of the 225 HIV registered cases for 2003 are injecting drug users. The overall goal of the action plan is thus to reverse HIV transmission among injecting drug users in the next five years.

The sharing of needles and syringes between drug users is at the core of the problem. It is due to many factors. Drug addicts lack information as well as access to clean needles and syringes. They also find it normal to share their ?pleasure? with their ?camarades.? Another common practice is that the drug dealer, who provides and injects the drug, may be a ?professional injector? who does not use fresh equipment for each injection.

The action plan is based on three main strategies. The first two are to reduce supply and demand of drugs. The last method - harm reduction - is at the centre of controversy. It involves providing drug users with the necessary protective equipment. This ranges from exchanging infected needles for sterile ones to providing them with condoms for safe sex. Some stakeholders do not agree with this strategy. They fear that this may induce non-addicts to start taking drugs.

<B>Easy victims</B>

What makes the problem even more serious is that HIV is not confined to the drug-using population. The scourge extends to the wider population. ?Drug users also constitute a bridge for HIV transmission between a core HIV risk group and the wider population?, the ministry of Health states. Both sexual partners and children of the person infected by the disease become easy victims.

HIV/AIDS is a major scourge of the century. By the end of December 2003, there were some 698 HIV/AIDS cases registered in Mauritius, 99 of them being non-residents. Among Mauritians, 97 have passed away and 502 are known to be living with HIV/AIDS. However, these are only the registered cases and real figures could be even more dramatic. People still might be ashamed to say they are HIV positive, which could contribute to contaminating other people.

Other stakeholders that have collaborated with the ministry for the action plan, such as PILS, NATReSA, National Solidarity and Senior Citizen Welfare and Reform Institutions, etc. as well as social workers are working hard to try and reduce the number of people becoming infected by the disease. Sensitisation programs and distribution of condoms are among other activities to reach this goal. Yet, there has been a rise in the number of cases. With the authorities commitment to fighting this plague, there is much hope that it might gradually disappear.