"In Sweden, a county council wishing to open a Needle Exchange Programme (NSP) must seek authorization from the National Board of Health and Welfare. One condition is that the programme be carried out in cooperation with a municipality. A well-functioning drug treatment unit must be present as a partner and the NSP should be run in close cooperation with either the county council ?s department for infectious diseases or the drug dependence department.
"Today (October 2013), there are five operational needle/syringe exchange programmes in Sweden (Malmö, Lund, Helsingborg, Kalmar and Stockholm).
"As is often the case in other countries, NSPs in Sweden were started mainly with the intention of reducing the spread of HIV, but also of HBV and HCV. Another important aspect of syringe exchange in Sweden has been to reach IDUs without contact with health care or social services and connecting them with regular drug services. The NSPs in Sweden have gradually developed to also include efforts to reduce risky sexual behaviour and somatic, psychological and social interventions (SOU 2011:6)."
Swedish National Institute of Public Health. "2013 National Report (2012 data) to the EMCDDA by the Reitox National Focal Point: Sweden: New Developments, Trends and in-depth information on selected issues." Östersund: Swedish National Institute of Public Health, 2013, p. 70.
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