The sharing of contaminated needles among drug users in the early 1980s proves a major source of HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) infection, the virus that leads to AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). Surveys showed that up to 52% of drug users in Edinburgh and 40% in Dundee were infected.
A Government-backed programme – one of the first in the world – is set up to supply users with clean injecting equipment. The spread of infection was then quickly brought under control.
The World Health Organization later commissions Scottish AIDS experts to carry out an international study into drug-related HIV infection. It confirms the importance of needle exchanges and leads to changes in public health policy in many countries.