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Table INF-3. Prevalence of markers for HBV infection among injecting drug users in the EU, 2005 or most recent year available - Summary table by country

Country or region	Year	Number tested	% positive aHBc(1)	% positive aHBs(1)	% positive HBsAg(1)	Setting/comments (2) (3) (4) (5)	References
Belgium	2005	365	[8.1]	[10.8-50.5]	[0.0-3.00]	LTS, DTC; serum	8 ; 14
Bulgaria	2005	819			[6.1]	DTC, NSP, LTS, outreach; 4 sites.	2 ; 3
Czech Republic
Denmark	2004-05	325	35	37		aHBc, aHBs: ODD; All drug related deaths who have a blood sample taken at autopsy; IDUnk	7
Ireland	2003	63	[17.5]	[86.4]	[0.0]	DTC; serum	14
Germany	2004	941	[53.0]			DTC, Vacination study; serum; IDUnk	4 ; 24
Estonia
Greece	2005	1904	34.9 [0.0-38.0]	39.5 [13.5-47.5]	2.3-3.1 [0.0-10.5]	DTC, LTS, OHC, PHL; serum	1 ; 2 ; 9
Spain	2003	613	[22.5]			STR, Heroin users recruited in community; dried blood spots	29 ; 34
France
Italy	2005	61396	41.8 [17.5-91.2]			DTC, PRI; serum; IDUnk. All markers.	31
Cyprus						DTC, PRI; serum	1
Latvia
Lithuania	2005	919			[9.5-12.9]	NSP, LTS; serum, dried blood spots	8 ; 5
Luxembourg	2005	508	18.4-35.9	54.9-75.0	3.9	DTC, NSP, LTS, STI, ANT, OHC, PRI; serum	6
Hungary	2005	82			0.0	PHL; serum; IDUnk	5
Malta	2005	118	0.0			DTC; serum	2
Netherlands	2000	405	[35.2]		[3.0]	DTC, NSP, LTS, Surveys in and outside drug treatment; serum	9 ; 14a ; 14b
Austria	2004	242	[0.0-28.0]			LTS, PHL, GPS, HTC, NSP; serum. All markers.	4 ; 7 ; 8
Poland	2004-05	766	[23.6-66.7]	[31.5-34.5]	[1.2-8.5]	DTC, LTS, PRI, STR; serum	6
Portugal	2003-05	5873	16.0-28.0	20.0-33.0	1.8-9.0	DTC, outpatient units, therapeutic communities, detoxification units, Public detoxification units; dried blood spots, serum; IDUnk	22 ; 23 ; 24
Romania	2004-05	173			[6.9-10.3]	DTC, serum	2
Slovenia	2002-04	980	4.1		3.4	aHBc. DTC; serum	1
Slovakia	2002	148	[6.3]			DTC	7
Finland
Sweden
United Kingdom	2005	1058	[9.0-42.0]			DTC, NSP, LTS, PRI, primary care and outreach; saliva, dried blood spots	36
Turkey
Norway	2005	258	[42.0]		[0.8]	NSP, STR; serum.	8

Notes:

This summary table gives a global overview of prevalence of HBV markers in IDUs in the EU, 2004-2005 or most recent year available. Data for more than one year are combined if they clearly improve generalisability (e.g. national data, out-of-treatment data). Prevalence in this table should not be compared with previous versions to follow changes over time, as inclusion of sources may vary according to data availability. For time trends see Tables 14-15 in the annex of this statistical bulletin.

n.a.= not available

Sample size is mostly equal for the different HBV markers, where this is not the case the smallest sample size is shown.

(1) The figures given in brackets show local estimates (or range of estimates) within the country.

(2) Saliva tests for hepatitis B antibodies underestimate prevalence. If test sensitivity is known then figures can be adjusted upwards by dividing prevalence by test sensitivity. Figures have not been adjusted.

(3) Having health problems is one selection criterion for admission to drug treatment in some countries or cities (Greece, Portugal, Rome), due to long waiting lists or special programmes for infected IDUs, and this may result in upward bias of prevalence. Prevalence from treatment data should therefore be interpreted in combination with non-treatment data. On the other hand, data from Italy and Portugal include non-IDUs and may thus underestimate prevalence in IDUs. Data for Italy and Austria are not prevalence of aHBc but prevalence of 'all HBV markers' as a proxy of aHBc prevalence.

(4) IDUnk = IDU status not known, prevalence may be too low.

(5) ODD = overdose deaths; DEM = drug emergencies; DTC = drug treatment centres; NSP = needle exchanges; LTS = low-threshold services; PHL = public health laboratories; STI = STI clinics; ANT = antenatal clinics; OHC = other hospital or clinics; PRI = prisons; ARR = arrests; GPS = general practitioners; HTC = HIV testing centres; STR = street; OTH = other.

Sources:

See Tables INF 14-15.