Emerging Risks Due to New Injecting Patterns in Hungary During Austerity Times |
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| Authors: | Anna Tarján Mária Dudás V Anna Gyarmathy Erzsébet Rusvai Bálint Tresó Ágnes Csohán |
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| Institution: | 1. Hungarian Reitox National Focal Point, National Centre for Epidemiology, Budapest, Hungarytarjan.anna@gmail.com;3. Department for Communicable Diseases, National Centre for Epidemiology, Budapest, Hungary;4. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA;5. Division of Virology, National Centre for Epidemiology, Budapest, Hungary |
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| Abstract: | As a consequence of the massive restructuring of drug availability, heroin injection in Hungary was largely replaced by the injecting of new psychoactive substances (NPS) starting in 2010. In the following years in our sero-prevalence studies we documented higher levels of injecting paraphernalia sharing, daily injection-times, syringe reuse, and HCV prevalence among stimulant injectors, especially among NPS injectors. Despite the increasing demand, in 2012 the number of syringes distributed dropped by 35% due to austerity measures. Effects of drug market changes and the economic recession may have future epidemiological consequences. Study limitations are noted and future needed research is suggested. |
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| Keywords: | Injecting drugs use new psychoactive substances synthetic cathinones heroin shortage hepatitis C syringe sharing risk behaviors syringe-exchange program harm reduction economic recession |
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