Preventing and controlling infectious diseases among people who inject drugs is the focus of the latest EMCDDA Reitox Academy opening today in Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina). The two-day event gathers over 20 experts from five candidate and potential candidate countries to the EU (1).
Building on a guidance report on the same topic, published by EMCDDA and ECDC in 2011 (2), the participating experts will discuss with EMCDDA staff a range of policies and measures to prevent and control infectious diseases in this group. Special attention will be given to exploring the availability of epidemiological data and the provision of recommended prevention measures.
A set of proposals will be agreed at the meeting aimed at strengthening national drug monitoring systems and reaching an adequately high coverage rate of measures to prevent and control infections in the participating countries.
This Reitox Academy is the first regional event organised in cooperation with the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It forms part of a series of training activities organised within a framework of the technical cooperation project with candidate and potential candidate countries, launched by the EMCDDA in January 2012.