Sharing used needles among drug addicts, has been linked to about 70 percent of known HIV infections in Georgia. This is a story told by Georgia’s first recipient of free, state-sponsored anti-retroviral therapy. ARVs suppress HIV but cannot cure it. At the time of the story, October 2003, only 5 people were receiving ARVs for free, paid by the state; at least 50 people needed them. About 500 people living with HIV have registered with the government. The real total of people living with HIV could be three times that. Georgia has been granted USD 12 million over 5 years from the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, mostly to fight HIV/Aids. ©Mahesh aids #missingyou