Hungría se enfrenta a una epidemia de VIH entre personas usuarias de drogas

A pesar de las primeras transmisiones de VIH registradas entre las personas usuarias de drogas en Hungría, el mayor programa de agujas y jeringuillas del país se ha visto obligado a cerrar debido a ataques políticos.Más información, en inglés, está disponible abajo.

Suscríbase a las Alertas mensuales del IDPC para recibir información sobre cuestiones relacionadas con políticas sobre drogas.

Unlike in Russia or the Ukraine, where HIV epidemics have been largely driven by policies which put pressure on injecting drug users to share injecting equipment, HIV had been virtually non-existent among Hungarian injecting drug users over the past two decades.

This situation is now starting to change, and Hungary may follow the example of Greece and Romania, where we have seen major outbreaks of HIV among drug users in recent years. The Hungarian Centre for Epidemiology confirms that a number of new injection-related HIV transmissions have been registered this year. We have good reason to suppose that a major HIV epidemic is inevitable, if the government doesn't take immediate action to scale up harm reduction programs.

Unfortunately there is no political will and leadership to do so. On the contrary: The largest needle and syringe provider has announced that it will soon shut down, because of its desperate financial situation, and political attacks orchestrated by the local mayor.

Click here to read the full article.

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