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Table HSR-5. Provision of needle and syringe programmes (NSPs) [see all tables in this series...]

Part (i) Syringes provided through needle and syringe programmes (NSPs), 2003-2009

Country		2003 Number syringes (x 1000)	Coverage	2005 Number syringes (x 1000)	Coverage	2007 Number syringes (x 1000)	Coverage (%)	2008 Number syringes (x 1000)	Coverage (%)	2009 Number syringes (x 1000)	Coverage (%)
Belgium (Flemish community)	(1)	237	national	449	national	599	100	643	:	637	100
Belgium (French community)	(1)	241	national	261	national	371	85	:	:	309	88
Bulgaria	(1), (2), (3)	400	national	600	national	735	100	508	:	669	100
Czech Republic	(1), (2)	1780	national	3274	national	4457	100	4644	98	4861	100
Denmark	(1), (2), (4)	910	national	910	national	:	:	:	:	:	:
Germany		:	:	:	:	:	:	:	:	:	:
Estonia		284	national	868	national	1966	100	2033	:	2278	100
Ireland		:	:	:	:	1097	72	:	:	:	:
Greece		44	national	30	national	65	100	55	100	69	100
Spain		6233	national	3966	national	3500	:	:	:	3422	:
France	(1), (5)	9598	national	:	:	10100	70	13800	87	:	:
Italy		:	:	:	:	:	:	:	:	:	:
Cyprus		0	national	0	national	0	100	0	100	0.04	100
Latvia		126	national	124	national	126	100	:	:	283	100
Lithuania		302	national	259	national	187	100	239	100	188	58
Luxembourg		375	national	435	national	287	100	260	96	303	100
Hungary		51	partial	105	national	214	100	298	100	392	100
Malta		210	national	220	national	226	:	:	:	309	100
Netherlands	(2), (6)	700	partial	440	partial	380	(6)	429	(6)	283	(6)
Austria	(7)	1756	partial	1891	partial	3160	(8)	:	:	3966	(8)
Poland	(8)	644	national	372	national	396	100	318	100	197	100
Portugal		2663	national	2845	national	2313	100	2449	100	2365	100
Romania	(2)	:	:	1038	partial	1232	100	1109	100	1731	100
Slovenia	(9)	:	:	:	:	882	100	:	:	1052	100
Slovakia	(10)	143	national	362	national	421	77	254	100	345	100
Finland	(1), (11)	1435	national	1892	national	2648	100	2720	95	3067	95
Sweden		:	:	118	national	117	100	164	:	85	100
UK- England	(12)	:	:	:	:	:	:	:	:	:	:
UK-Scotland		:	:	1746	:	4345	100	4124	100	:	:
UK-Northern Ireland	(13)	83	:	86	:	117	100	136	100	154	100
Croatia		:	:	:	:	150	100	256	100	290	100
Turkey		0	national	0	national	0	100	0	100	0	100
Norway	(1), (2), (14)	3300	partial	3300	partial	3275	(14)	:	:	3100	(14)

Notes:

The table includes syringes provided through fixed and mobile NSP sites in the community and in prisons: at specialist drugs agencies, including through outreach work and peer-distribution, through vending machines and pharmacy-based NSP site.

Where data are not available, the table entry is left empty.

The methodology to collect data on the reporting coverage of syringes distributed changed between 2005 and 2007. In 2007 the coverage was quantified as the percentage of reporting NSP sites (NSP site: the term ‘site’ is used to describe physically distinct outlets where syringes can be obtained for free or in exchange against used ones.)

(1) Data on number of syringes in 2003 and 2005 are estimates.

(2) Data on number of syringes in 2005 are estimates.

(3) An internet based system for all reporting agencies was set up in 2008, thus establishing a working procedure for data reliability and consistency control. Any discrepancies with previous data is due to this change in the reporting system and trend analyses should be carefully performed. 668603 is the annual number of sets provided, each of them includes one syringe and two needles.

(4) Detailed information from the municipalities regarding distribution of syringes is not available in Denmark. However the Local Government Denmark (interest group and member authority of Danish municipalities) on the basis of a request from the former Ministry of Health and Prevention, in the summer of 2009, has studied the prevalence of syringe exchange programmes in the Danish municipalities. From this study, Local Government Denmark has concluded that the number of drug abusers who has access to sterile syringes is high. It must be noted that the municipalities are not legally obliged to distribute sterile syringes to drug abusers.

(5) Data on number of syringes in 2008 for France are an estimate based on reports from 87% of the specialised harm reduction agencies (CAARUDS) and includes also sterikit distribution/sale. The 2007 data include pharmacy-based sterikit distribution/sale which in 2006/07 amounted to approx. 5,3 million syringes.

(6) Partial data, covering only the cities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

(7) Data from Austria have only a partial coverage of the national territory. 2005 data for Austria cover the two agencies with largest turnover: VWS Vienna and Komfüdro Tyrol. 2009 data are based on information from all provincial drug coordinators exept from carinthia.

(8) Data for Poland include syringes funded by the National Bureau for Drug Prevention.

(9) In 2007 a study was conduted on pharmacies needle and syringe programmes. The results found that approximately 300.000 syringes were purchased in pharmacies.

(10) Data for Slovakia cover independent exchange programmes provided by field services, treatment institutions and the K-centre.

(11) Some very small NSPs are not included, however their total volume is less than 5%.

(12) No reliable data on syringes distributed in England and Wales are available. A national web based system to collect information from local needle exchange services in England was introduced by the NTA in April 2008 and new data are expected starting from 2010/11. A Home Office report (ACMD, The primary prevention of hepatitis C among injecting drug users, Home Office, February 2009) mentions an estimate of 23 million for 2005 (p.16).

(13) Data for Northern Ireland refer to the UK fiscal year: 1 April 2009 of the reporting year until 31 March 2010.

(14) Data on number of syringes in Norway in 2009 are partial, based on the reports from 14 out of 26 municipalities. Taking into account that there may be a few more NSPs in Norway, an overall estimate could be as high as 3.2 - 3.3 mill syringes. Oslo alone counts for 1.906.512 syringes, Trondheim 158.499 syringes, Bergen approx. 570.000.

See also 'General notes for interpreting data' on the Explanatory notes and help page.

Sources:

Standard tables on 'syringe availability' (ST10) submitted by NFPs in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010.