New data on IDUs and HIV in Poland put official figures in doubt

News

New data on IDUs and HIV in Poland put official figures in doubt

2 July 2014

Recently released figures suggest that the Polish government's figures showing a drop in HIV and Hepatitis C rates among drug users in the countries could be a gross misrepresentation of the reality.

On June 26, the Social AIDS Committee (SKA for its Polish acronym) and Harm Reduction Foundation (FRS for its Polish acronym) released the results of a study on the prevalence of HIV and Hepatitis C (Hep C) among injecting drug users (IDUs) in Warsaw, Poland.

Research participants were recruited using the snowball sampling method, and offered free and anonymous Hep C and HIV testing. Ninety-six IDUs from Warsaw and its surrounding area participated. For most of them this was their first screening for blood-borne viruses.

Results show that 14.5 percent of those tested were HIV-positive, and over 70 percent were Hep C carriers. These numbers are massive when compared to data from government reports that claim that the HIV prevalence among IDUs is at an all-time low, with only 39 cases reported in 2012 (estimates put the figure at around 100 drug-related infections for that year). When compared to data from the SKA and FRS report, this would mean that Warsaw and its surrounding area account for about 20 percent of all HIV infections among IDUs in Poland despite having just 5-6 percent of Poland’s population. This is highly debatable given that data from other major cities also reports the infection rate among local IDUs at around 15-20 percent.

Read the full article.

Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert.