EMCDDA news

Ahead of World AIDS Day on 1 December, the EU drugs agency (EMCDDA) has released today a new toolkit offering countries the latest guidance on monitoring infectious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis (B,C), among people who inject drugs (PWID). The toolkit is designed to help health professionals improve their monitoring practice in order to reduce the burden of disease in this vulnerable group and improve the coverage and quality of services delivered.

Sharing evidence to help prevent and reduce harm related to addiction is the focus of a workshop hosted by the EU drugs agency (EMCDDA) in Lisbon this week. The two-day event, opening today, is organised by the European Agency for Health and Consumers (EACH), in collaboration with the European Commission (Directorates-General for Justice and Health and Consumers).

A set of Council conclusions on improving the monitoring of drug supply in the European Union was adopted by the Economic and Financial Affairs Council meeting in Brussels today. The need to scale up the monitoring of illicit drug supply in Europe is an important component of the current EU drugs strategy (2013–20).

Ambassador Paul E. Simons, Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) of the Organisation of American States (OAS) visits the EMCDDA today to discuss with the agency’s Director Wolfgang Götz perspectives for the next EMCDDA–CICAD work programme (2014–18).

The four winners of the 2013 EMCDDA scientific paper award will be honoured in Lisbon this week at the third annual award ceremony hosted by the EU agency. The winners — based in Germany, Austria, Norway and at the EMCDDA — will receive a non-monetary prize for their contributions on 7 November in the margins of the EMCDDA’s Scientific Committee meeting.