Needle and syringe programmes

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Needle and syringe programmes
Contents of a needle-exchange kit
Other names	Syringe-exchange programme (SEP), needle exchange program (NEP)
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A needle and syringe programme (NSP), also known as needle exchange program (NEP), is a social service that allows injecting drug users (IDUs) to obtain clean and unused hypodermic needles and associated paraphernalia at little or no cost. It is based on the philosophy of harm reduction that attempts to reduce the risk factors for blood-borne diseases such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.