Greece Hammered by HIV, Drugs, Financial Collapse, Austerity

Health Officials:  Athens Has Spiraling HIV Crisis by Elena Becatoros.  Bloomberg Businessweek.  November 30, 2012.

HIV infections among drug users in Greece have skyrocketed by 15-fold last year and 35-fold so far this year compared to a 2008-2010 baseline.  During the economic calamity drug users have turned from smoking to injecting in order to get the same effect from smaller amounts of drugs.  Austerity measures have impacted hospitals and charities who work with drug users, crippling efforts to deal with the HIV crisis.   Efforts to distribute clean needles do no match the extent of the problem.

Greek Doctors Aid Victims of Austerity

Amid Cutbacks, Greek Doctors Offer Message to Poor You Are Not Alone by Liz Alderman.  The New York Times.  October 24, 2012.

Now about one half of the 1.2 million long term Greek unemployed lack health insurance, a number that is certain to rise with an unemployment rate of 25 percent.  Before  the agreement with international lenders to stave off financial collapse Greeks had access to universal care.  This article puts a human face on these figures with doctors forming an underground movement to take care of the uninsured.  A doctor emphasized the crisis:  "In Greece now, to be unemployed means death."  This is especially the case with cancer care, a major emphasis of this article.