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Table HSR-4. Needle and syringe programmes (NSPs)
Part (i) Year of introduction of needle and syringe programmes (NSPs), types of programmes available in 2011 and number of sites
| Country | Needle and syringe fixed programmes | Outreach NSP | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year first NSP | Sources | Year first publicly funded | Sources | Year first Prison-NSP | Sources | No. of specialist agency sites with NSP | No. of vending machines | No. of Pharmacy-based NSP sites | No. of prison-based NSP sites | Total number of fixed sites (min) | No. of sites with NSP outreach workers | No. of sites where NSP carried out by van | Total number of pharmacies | |||||
| Belgium (Flemish Community) | 2001 | 1 | 2001 | 1 | : | 28 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 53 | 5 | 0 | 2710 | |||||
| Belgium (French Community) | 1994 | 1 | 2000 | 1 | : | 17 | 0 | : | 0 | 17 | 10 | 0 | 2464 | |||||
| Bulgaria | 1995 | 1 | 1999 | 1 | : | 123 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 123 | 131 | : | 5268 | |||||
| Czech Republic | 1986 | 3 | 1991 | 3 | : | 51 | 2 | : | 0 | 53 | 51 | 1 | 2448 | |||||
| Denmark | 1986 | 1 | 1986 | 1 | : | : | : | : | 0 | : | : | 0 | 318 | |||||
| Germany | 1984 | 4 | 1992 | 2 | 1996 | 10 | 223 | 167 | : | 1 | : | : | : | 21238 | ||||
| Estonia | 1997 | 1 | 2001 | 1 | : | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 23 | 0 | 493 | |||||
| Ireland | 1989 | 5 | 1989 | 1 | : | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 4 | : | 1394 | (3) | ||||
| Greece | 1998 | 1 | 1998 | 1 | : | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 11517 | |||||
| Spain | 1985 | 1 | 1985 | 1 | 1997 | 10 | 1001 | : | 766 | 70 | 1837 | : | 28 | 21427 | ||||
| France | (1) | 1989 | 1 | 1995 | 1 | : | 116 | 276 | 29 | 0 | 421 | 91 | 49 | 22386 | (4) | |||
| Italy | 1990 | 1 | 1990 | 1 | : | : | : | : | 0 | : | : | : | : | |||||
| Cyprus | 2007 | 2 | 2007 | 9 | : | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 458 | |||||
| Latvia | 1997 | 1 | 1997 | 1 | : | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 10 | 3 | 820 | |||||
| Lithuania | 1997 | 1 | 1997 | 8 | : | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1442 | |||||
| Luxembourg | 1993 | 1 | 1993 | 1 | 2005 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 92 | ||||
| Hungary | 1994 | 1 | 2000 | 1 | : | 22 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 13 | 4 | 3163 | |||||
| Malta | 1987 | 1 | 1987 | 6 | : | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | : | |||||
| Netherlands | 1984 | 7 | 1986 | 1 | : | 150 | : | 25 | 0 | 175 | : | : | 1980 | |||||
| Austria | 1990 | 1 | 1990 | 1 | : | 15 | 17 | : | 0 | 32 | 4 | 0 | 2288 | |||||
| Poland | 1989 | 1 | 1989 | 1 | : | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 12 | 1 | 13 500 | |||||
| Portugal | 1993 | 1 | 1993 | 1 | 2007 | 10 | 11 | 0 | 1184 | 2 | 1197 | 101 | 134 | 2900 | (5) | |||
| Romania | 2000 | 2 | 2000 | 2 | 2008 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 68 | 68 | 6902 | ||||
| Slovenia | 1992 | 1 | 1996 | 1 | : | 11 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 16 | 7 | 96 | 308 | |||||
| Slovakia | 1994 | 1 | 1994 | 1 | : | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1799 | |||||
| Finland | 1997 | 1 | 1997 | 1 | : | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | : | : | 811 | |||||
| Sweden | (2), (11) | 1986 | 1 | 1986 | 1 | : | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 945 | ||||
| UK- England | 1986 | 1 | 1987 | 1 | : | : | 1 | : | 0 | : | : | : | : | |||||
| UK - Wales | : | : | : | 39 | 1 | 204 | 0 | 244 | 4 | 14 | 710 | |||||||
| UK-Northern Ireland | 2001 | 2 | 2001 | 2 | : | 1 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 15 | 6 | : | 535 | |||||
| UK-Scotland | 1987 | 2 | 1987 | 2 | (2007) | 10 | 65 | : | 204 | 0 | 269 | 6 | 4 | : | ||||
| Croatia | : | 1996 | 2 | : | 6 | 0 | : | 0 | 6 | 41 | 55 | : | ||||||
| Turkey | n/a | n/a | : | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | : | |||||||
| Norway | 1988 | 1 | 1988 | 1 | : | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 9 | 700 | |||||
Notes
NSP: the acronym NSP is the abbreviation for the term ‘needle and syringe programme’. This means the provision of sterile syringes and hypodermic needles as well as of further injecting paraphernalia to injecting drug users. NSPs can also be implemented at pharmacies or in prisons.
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.
Where data are not available, the table entry is left empty.
(...) indicates that the NSP service is legally available in the country but there are no reported data.
(1) For France, Circulaire DGS 05 May 1992 allowed a pilot study of NSPs, but full implementation only after 1995.
(2) In Sweden, needle and syringe programmes were run on a pilot basis from 1986 until 2006, when they were regularised through the Injection Needle Exchange Act (2006:233).
(3) Number of pharmacies in 2006.
(4) Number of pharmacies in 2009.
(5) In Portugal, a prison NSP was developed as pilot project and implemented in one prison in Lisbon and in the prison in Paços de Ferreira between July 2008 and March 2009. No syringes were exchanged during the project.
See also 'General notes for interpreting data' on the Explanatory notes and help page.
Sources
Updated according to information in
(1) Structured questionnaire 23 'Prevention of infectious diseases', submitted by NFPs in 2004.
(2) Reitox National Report 2007.
(3) Personal communication, B. Korcisova, 9.3.2005.
(4) Personal communication, H. Stöver, 31.1.2005.
(5) Standard tables on 'syringe availability' (ST10), submitted by NFPs in 2004 and 2006.
(6) Personal communication, M. Camilleri, 14.2.2005.
(7) Coutinho, R. (1995), American Journal of Public Health 85, 1490-1.
(8) Personal communication E. Subata, 28.2.2005.
(9) Personal communication NFP, 11.4.2011.
(10) Obradovic, I (2012), Réduction des risques en milieu penitentiaire. Revue des expériences étrangères. Note n°2012-4, á l'attention de la MILDT. Paris: OFDT.
(11) For Swedish data, personal communication Frida Hansdotter, 23/01/2013.
NSP sites and total number of pharmacies information: Standard table on 'syringe availability' (ST10), submitted by NFPs in 2012 and Reitox National Report 2012.