HIV man's years of shared needles

A HIV-positive drug addict has told how he may have infected up to 10 fellow inmates at a drug rehabilitation centre by sharing needles. The disclosure came as health officials warned against the practice, with the number of HIV cases on the rise among addicts.

Long-time heroin user Mo Wai-kit, 51, told the South China Morning Post he had shared needles with 10 other inmates at Shek Kwu Chau drug rehabilitation centre during repeated admissions in the early 1990s. He did not find out about his condition until 1994.

'I hope my story will be a lesson - needle sharing is very bad,' he said. 'Most drug addicts, including myself, have never thought about having the disease. We are aware of the risk, but we just ignore it, and there is no choice when you are locked up and have the urge.'

He was sent to the Shek Kwu Chau centre, run by the Society for the Aid and Rehabilitation of Drug Abusers (Sarda), eight times after being convicted of various charges of shoplifting and theft.

Mr Mo is now one of two HIV-positive addicts at the Christian Zheng Sheng Association's drug rehabilitation centre in Kam Tin, which requires HIV tests for all new inmates. He has taken heroin for more than three decades and shared needles as frequently as three times a day.

'Back in the 1980s, sharing needles was very common. At that time, only glass syringes were available and each cost about $4 or $5 - expensive to us. A bag of heroin only cost $10 in those days, so we usually used the old needle together. I did so for about 10 years, three times a day.' Mr Mo was not aware he was infected until he took a blood test after he was struck down by tetanus in 1994. His doctor said he had contracted the disease from sharing needles.