WASHINGTON—The city government of Washington, D.C., plans to spend $650,000 to fund needle exchange programs to reduce soaring rates of HIV and AIDS infections in the U.S. capital, city officials announced last week.

A nearly decade-long congressionally imposed ban on using city money for such programs was lifted the week before when President George W. Bush signed a federal spending bill.

The programs provide clean hypodermic needles to drug users in return for their used syringes. HIV can be spread through needles shared by drug users.

Needle exchange programs will be a key part of the city’s strategy to reduce the number of new HIV infections, Mayor Adrian Fenty said.

The mayor downplayed possible objections from residents over such programs coming to their neighborhoods, saying everyone should “be concerned” about the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

“HIV and AIDS are such well-known public health problems in the District of Columbia that people understand we have to have programs and services in the neighborhoods,” Fenty said.