Publications by authors named "Savvas Chaikalis"
One of the World Health Organization's targets for the 2030 viral hepatitis elimination strategy is to reduce new hepatitis C (HCV) infections. In Athens, Greece, people who inject drugs (PWID) have a high HCV prevalence, with increasing trends since the 2000s. This analysis aims to assess primary HCV incidence among PWID during 2012-2020.
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- High mortality rates among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Greece, primarily due to overdose and HIV, have been documented in a study covering 2018-2022.
- The study found a crude mortality rate of 3.52 deaths per 100 person-years, with notable increases in Athens, and highlighted that younger, daily injectors not in treatment had higher risks of death.
- Results indicate an urgent need for preventive measures, especially in Thessaloniki, and suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic may have exacerbated these trends in Athens.
Article Synopsis
- The HIV outbreak among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Athens between 2011-13 was Europe and North America's largest recent epidemic, prompting a study on prevalence, drug use, and prevention access from 2014-20.
- Two community-based programs collected data from PWID using respondent-driven sampling, revealing an increase in HIV prevalence from 14.2% to 22.0% between the two periods, and highlighting worsening socio-economic conditions and decreased access to prevention.
- The estimated HIV incidence was 1.94 new cases per 100 person-years during 2014-20, with younger age and lower education identified as associated risk factors.