Even if you have a long history of injection drug use, you should clean your needles in the future for three reasons. First, it is possible that you have not yet been infected. Second, even if you have been infected, you should avoid reinfection, which may speed the development of AIDS. Third, other diseases like hepatitis are also transmitted by sharing dirty needles. Diseases like hepatitis greatly damage your immune system's ability to fight off disease, and may also speed the development of full-blown AIDS.

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