Prevalence of infectious diseases among the drug users in present and candidate countries of European Union =

Abstract

Prevailing way of infection with HIV and virus hepatitis in European countries is considered to be via drug injections, sharing syringes, and needles. In EU countries, the prevalence of HIV infection among IDUs varies from 1% in United Kingdom up to 34% in Spain. From all Eastern and Middle European countries (future EU members), Baltic countries are mostly touched by HIV infection and virus hepatitis. In Estonia, prevalence of HIV is the largest among all the countries of European region. Prevalence of HIV among IDUs varies from 0% in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, and Slovakia up to 41% in Estonia. In EU countries, the level of hepatitis C varies between 40 and 90% in separate groups of IDUs. In EU candidate countries, the prevalence of hepatitis C among IDUs varies from 6% in Hungary up to more than 80% in Estonia and Latvia. In Lithuanian prisons, from 7 to 12% of prisoners are registered as IDUs. From 30 up to 50% of people of this kind appear in the prisons of EU countries. Following the investigations, carried out in most of the countries, majority of the convicts share the same means of injection, infecting themselves via blood. The IDUs groups, mostly touched by infections, appear in Southwest countries of EU: Spain, France, Italy, and Portugal. The prevalence of drug use related infections in most of Eastern and Middle European countries is lower in comparison with EU countries. However, the experts forecast the increase of the drug users and at the same time the expansion of infectious diseases in East European countries, whilst in the West (EU countries) – stability or even decrease.