HCV prevalence and risk behaviours among injectors of new psychoactive substances in a risk environment in Hungary-An expanding public health burden.

Background: In Hungary a large increase in injecting new psychoactive substances (NPS) coincided with decreasing harm reduction efforts and rising HCV infection. We describe these, and assess changes in HCV prevalence and risk behaviours, 2011-2014, among NPS injectors, using 2011-2015 syringe exchange programme (SEP) data as a key contextual ('risk environment') variable.

Methods: We conducted repeated national sero-behavioural surveys in people who inject drugs (PWID) injecting in the last month and attending SEPs or drug treatment centres (n=399, 2011; 384, 2014), using face-to-face interviews and dried blood-spot samples.

Emerging Risks Due to New Injecting Patterns in Hungary During Austerity Times.

As a consequence of the massive restructuring of drug availability, heroin injection in Hungary was largely replaced by the injecting of new psychoactive substances (NPS) starting in 2010. In the following years in our sero-prevalence studies we documented higher levels of injecting paraphernalia sharing, daily injection-times, syringe reuse, and HCV prevalence among stimulant injectors, especially among NPS injectors. Despite the increasing demand, in 2012 the number of syringes distributed dropped by 35% due to austerity measures.

Medical and economic burden of influenza in the elderly population in central and eastern European countries.

Influenza affects 5-15% of the population during an epidemic. In Western Europe, vaccination of at-risk groups forms the cornerstone of influenza prevention. However, vaccination coverage of the elderly (> 65 y) is often low in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE); potentially because a paucity of country-specific data limits evidence-based policy making.

Paralytic poliomyelitis associated with Sabin monovalent and bivalent oral polio vaccines in Hungary.

Historical records of patients with vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis (VAPP) in Hungary during 1961-1981 were reviewed to assess the risk of VAPP after oral polio vaccine (OPV) administration. A confirmed VAPP case was defined as a diagnosis of paralytic poliomyelitis and residual paralysis at 60 days in a patient with an epidemiologic link to the vaccine. Archived poliovirus isolates were retested using polymerase chain reaction and sequencing of the viral protein 1 capsid region.

Benchmarking national surveillance systems: a new tool for the comparison of communicable disease surveillance and control in Europe.

Background: Communicable diseases do not respect national boundaries and are important challenges to health internationally. Considerable variation exists in the structure and performance of surveillance systems for communicable disease prevention and control. European Union (EU) countries should share ideas to improve the quality of surveillance systems.

Retrospective detection of a subclinical hepatitis A virus (HAV) epidemic affecting juvenile cohorts of the Hungarian population.

Sero-epidemiological surveys of serum samples taken in 1982, 1987, 1994 and 1999 have been performed with hepatitis A virus-specific (HAV-specific) serological tests. Results obtained during these surveys show that the proportion of seropositive blood donors decreased from 69% to 18% within 17 years. The authors have recognised a (mainly subclinical) epidemic, affecting about 115000 teenagers in 1992-1994 in Hungary, is a threatening phenomenon.

[Malaria in Hungary: origin, current state and principles of prevention].

Malaria was an endemic disease in Hungary for many centuries. A country-wide survey of the epidemiologic situation on malaria started in the year of 1927. That was done by the Department of Parasitology of the Royal State Institute of Hygiene (presently: Johan Béla National Center for Epidemiology).