Table INF-3. Prevalence of markers for HBV infection among injecting drug users in the EU, 2006 or most recent year available — Summary table by country

Country or region			% positive aHBc(1)			% positive aHBs(1)			% positive HBsAg(1)
	Year	Number tested	National	Sub-National		National	Sub-National		National	Sub-National	Setting/comments (2) (3) (4) (5)	References
Belgium	2005–06	751		15.8–55.0			12.3–50.5			0.0–1.5	LTS, DTC, 9 sites; serum	8 ; 22
Bulgaria	2006	1100							11.6	7.4	PRI, DTC, NSP, LTS, 11 sites; serum.	2 ; 4
Czech Republic
Denmark	2006	186	37.1								ODD, 5 sites; post mortem blood. IDUnk	7
Ireland	2003	63		17.5			86.4			0	DTC; serum	14
Germany	2004	941		53							DTC, Vacination study; serum; IDUnk	4 ; 24
Estonia
Greece	2006	1459	15.3–29.1	5.6–33.3		25.1–37.0	14.8–50.0		1.7–3.6	0.0–8.8	DTC, LTS, OHC, PHL, 42 sites; serum	1 ; 2 ; 9
Spain	2003	613		22.5							STR, Heroin users recruited in community; dried blood spots	29 ; 34
France
Italy	2006	63235	39.5	12.3–93.1							DTC, PRI; serum; IDUnk. All markers.	31 ; 32
Cyprus	2006	96							2.1		DTC, 9 sites; serum	1 ; 3 ; 4 ; 5
Latvia
Lithuania	2006	668								3.3–8.9	HTC, LTS, 16 sites ; serum, dried blood spots	5
Luxembourg	2005	508	18.4–35.9			54.9–75.0			3.9		DTC, NSP, LTS, STI, ANT, OHC, PRI; serum	6
Hungary	2006	355							0.0–1.3		PHL, DTC, NSP, 14 sites; serum; IDUnk §	7 ; 8 ; 9
Malta	2006	151	0.7								DTC; serum	2 ; 3 ; 5
Netherlands	2000	405		35.2						3	DTC, NSP, LTS, Surveys in and outside drug treatment; serum	9 ; 14a ; 14b
Austria	2006	271		5.2–27.4							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	2003–2006	6267	16.0–28.0			20.0–33.0			2.9–5.6		DTC, outpatient units, therapeutic communities, detoxification units, Public detoxification units; dried blood spots, serum; IDUnk §	27
Romania	2006	136								8.8	DTC, 2 sites; 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	3239		6.7–34.0							DTC, NSP, LTS, PRI, primary care and outreach; saliva, dried blood spots	36 ; 39
Turkey
Norway	2006	231		43						0.9	NSP, LTS, STR, 5 sites; serum.	8

Notes:

 This summary table gives a global overview of prevalence of HBV markers in IDUs in the EU, 2005–06 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 INF-114 and INF-115 . 

 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 show estimates (or range of estimates) at national and/or sub-national level. 

 (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 in IDUs is likely to be underestimated. 

 (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. 

 Hungary: One of the two studies available is IDUnk (National: N=55; 0.0% infected) 

 Portugal: Two of the three studies available is IDUnk (National: N=4041; 1355 — 5.6 %; 2.9 % infected respectively) 

Sources:

 See Tables INF-114 and INF-115.  

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