Correction in the EMCDDA Report

The Hungarian Civil Liberties Union informed the EMCDDA that there was an error in its Annual Report (released on 25 november, 2004). They replied and acknowledged the mistake, they promised to correct it in the online version.

The Hungarian Civil Liberties Union informed the EMCDDA that there was an error in its Annual Report (released on 25 november, 2004). They replied and acknowledged the mistake, they promised to correct it in the online version.

The table on page 56 demonstrated that the prevalence of HIV is 0 (zero) percent among Hungarian intravenous drug users according to a research done with "national coverage." In addition, on the next page (p. 57) another table shows the HCV prevalence is circa 30% among Hungarian iv. drug users, again with "national coverage."

But in the past 15 years there was NO research carried out in Hungary on HIV or HCV prevalence among iv. drug users with national coverage. 

There is indeed a Sentinel Surveillance research carried out by Eszter Ujhelyi M.D. (Szent László Hospital, Budapest) from year to year since 1997 with a small research sample (331 persons in the year 2003), which covers only the data of iv. drug users from two (2) treatment facilities of the capital, Budapest. One is the detoxification centre of the Toxicological Department of the Erzsébet Hospital, the other one is the Methadone Treatment Program of the Nyírő Gyula Hospital. Considering the fact that according to the most conservative estimates there are cca. 10.000-15.000 intravenous drug users in the country (at least 10.000 in Budapest only), this sample cannot be referred neither as representative nor as with national coverage.

EMCDDA assured HCLU that "the error will be corrected in the online version of the Annual Report 2004 (https://annualreport.emcdda.eu.int/en/home-en.html) as well as in the Statistical Bulletin (https://statistics.emcdda.eu.int/) as soon as possible."