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Health Group Retracts Claim That ‘Self-Inflicted’ H.I.V.’ Is Common in Greece Health Group Retracts Claim That ‘Self-Inflicted’ H.I.V. Is Common in Greece
(about 1 hour later)
LONDON — The news spread like wildfire after the World Health Organization reported that about half of new H.I.V. cases in Greece were “self-inflicted” as a way to get state benefit payments. LONDON — It took a while for anyone to notice, but once they did, the news spread like wildfire: the World Health Organization had said that about half of new H.I.V. cases in Greece were “self-inflicted” as a way to get state benefit payments.
Social media erupted on Monday. There were headlines everywhere from The Daily Mail to the Drudge Report to Al Jazeera. The conservative American commentator Rush Limbaugh weighed in, saying the story shows “what the welfare state does to people.” Social media erupted on Monday. There were headlines everywhere from The Daily Mail to the Drudge Report to Al Jazeera. The conservative American commentator Rush Limbaugh weighed in, saying the report shows “what the welfare state does to people.”
But on Tuesday morning, the World Health Organization and the group that produced the report conceded that the H.I.V. claim was not true. But on Tuesday morning, the World Health Organization and the group that produced the report acknowledged that the H.I.V. claim was not true.
“There is no evidence of people in Greece or anywhere else in Europe deliberately infecting themselves,” said Martin Donoghoe, a spokesman for the health organization.“There is no evidence of people in Greece or anywhere else in Europe deliberately infecting themselves,” said Martin Donoghoe, a spokesman for the health organization.
So what happened? It was an editing error, the group said. It apologized.So what happened? It was an editing error, the group said. It apologized.
The claim was part of a single sentence on page 112 of the organization’s European region report, which was first published in September and more broadly publicized by the agency in late October. And it was startling. The startling claim was contained in a single sentence on page 112 of the organization’s European region report, first published in September and more broadly publicized by the agency in late October.
“H.I.V. rates and heroin use have risen significantly, with about half of new H.I.V. infections being self-inflicted to enable people to receive benefits of €700 per month and faster admission on to drug substitution programs,” the report said. “H.I.V. rates and heroin use have risen significantly, with about half of new H.I.V. infections being self-inflicted to enable people to receive benefits of €700 per month and faster admission on to drug substitution programs,” the sentence read.
The report was produced by the Institute of Health Equity at University College London and overseen by Sir Michael Marmot, an epidemiologist. (Its full title was “Review of social determinants and the health divide in the W.H.O. European Region: final report.”) The report was produced by the Institute of Health Equity at University College London and overseen by Sir Michael Marmot, an epidemiologist. (Its full title was “Review of Social Determinants and the Health Divide in the W.H.O. European Region: Final Report.”)
In response to questions from The New York Times, a spokeswoman for the Institute of Health Equity said Monday that the claim came from a Lancet study produced by researchers from the University of Cambridge, the London School of Economics, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of California, San Francisco. In response to questions from The New York Times, a spokeswoman for the Institute of Health Equity said on Monday that the claim came from a Lancet study produced by researchers from the University of Cambridge, the London School of Economics, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of California, San Francisco.
But that 2011 Lancet study said that only “a few” such cases had been found, and it cited yet another report, by researchers in Greece. That report, however, said only that it was a “well-founded suspicion that some problem users are intentionally infected with HIV, because of the benefit they are entitled to.” But that Lancet study dated from 2011, and said that only “a few” such cases had been found it in turn cited yet another report, by researchers in Greece. The Greek report, however, said only that it was a “well-founded suspicion that some problem users are intentionally infected with H.I.V., because of the benefit they are entitled to.”
On Tuesday morning, the Institute of Health Equity spokeswoman told The Times that the W.H.O. report should have said “about half of infections are due to needle injection, some of which is deliberate self-infection.” On Tuesday morning, the Institute of Health Equity spokeswoman told The Times that the W.H.O. report should have said that “about half of infections are due to needle injection, some of which is deliberate self-infection.”
However, it was not even clear that there was evidence to say that much. There was no apparent documentation of any such cases in the various reports. It was not clear, though, whether there was evidence to say even that much. The various reports included no apparent documentation of any such cases.
By Tuesday afternoon, the W.H.O. had its own correction: “The sentence should read: ‘half of the new H.I.V. cases are self-injecting and out of them few are deliberately inflicting the virus.’ ” Later in the day, it recalled that statement, however, and said, “There is no evidence suggesting that deliberate self-infection with HIV goes beyond a few anecdotal cases.” By Tuesday afternoon, the W.H.O. had issued its own correction: “The sentence should read: ‘half of the new H.I.V. cases are self-injecting, and out of them, few are deliberately inflicting the virus.’ ” Later in the day, it retracted that statement, too, and said instead, “There is no evidence suggesting that deliberate self-infection with H.I.V. goes beyond a few anecdotal cases.”
The Greek H.I.V. claim did not receive much attention when it first came out, because it was buried in a lengthy report, though it was included in an article in late October on the website of the magazine New Scientist. It gained traction quickly on Monday on Twitter, and was reposted by European journalists and politicians. The Greek H.I.V. claim did not receive much attention when the report first came out, though it was mentioned in an article in late October on the website of the magazine New Scientist. But the claim gained traction quickly on Monday on Twitter, and was reposted by European journalists and politicians.
A Sky News headline said “Greeks ‘Injecting HIV To Claim €700 Benefits'” while a Fox Business headline said “European Crisis: Half of HIV Infections in Greece Are Self-Inflicted.” A Sky News headline said “Greeks ‘Injecting HIV To Claim €700 Benefits’ ” while a Fox Business headline said “European Crisis: Half of HIV Infections in Greece Are Self-Inflicted.”
Not all accepted it at face value, however. Media Matters for America, a nonprofit organization that pillories right-leaning news outlets, wrote that “the W.H.O. report is incorrect” in a posting on Monday, after studying the citation.Not all accepted it at face value, however. Media Matters for America, a nonprofit organization that pillories right-leaning news outlets, wrote that “the W.H.O. report is incorrect” in a posting on Monday, after studying the citation.
What is not in dispute is that Greece has had a sharp rise in cases of H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS, amid its economic crisis. What is not in dispute is that Greece saw a sharp rise in cases of H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS, with the onset of its eeconomic crisis, though the latest government figures show the number of new cases falling this year.
A report from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control last year said that, because of a breakdown of preventive services, “the number of new cases reported among people who inject drugs exceeded the number of new cases reported among men who have sex with men” in the first eight months of 2012. A report from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control said last year that, because of a breakdown of preventive services, “the number of new cases reported among people who inject drugs exceeded the number of new cases reported among men who have sex with men” in the first eight months of 2012.
“The current economic turmoil will continue to have adverse effects on H.I.V. prevention not only in Greece, but also in other parts of Europe,” the report said.“The current economic turmoil will continue to have adverse effects on H.I.V. prevention not only in Greece, but also in other parts of Europe,” the report said.
A study focused on Athens published in the scientific journal PLOS One said the increase in H.I.V. infections among intravenous drug users jumped annually to 260 in 2011 from between 10 and 20. And that jumped to 522 in 2012, the report said. It noted that it had been previously established that “economic and sociopolitical transitions have helped unleash H.I.V. epidemics in some countries.”A study focused on Athens published in the scientific journal PLOS One said the increase in H.I.V. infections among intravenous drug users jumped annually to 260 in 2011 from between 10 and 20. And that jumped to 522 in 2012, the report said. It noted that it had been previously established that “economic and sociopolitical transitions have helped unleash H.I.V. epidemics in some countries.”
On Tuesday, the World Health Organization said the recent rise of H.I.V. in Greece was “largely driven by infections among people who inject drugs.”On Tuesday, the World Health Organization said the recent rise of H.I.V. in Greece was “largely driven by infections among people who inject drugs.”
Researchers, the agency added, were working “to fully understand the underlying reasons and recommend appropriate measures” to help those infected.Researchers, the agency added, were working “to fully understand the underlying reasons and recommend appropriate measures” to help those infected.
Greece’s Deputy Health Minister, Zeta Makri, said in Geneva on Tuesday that she was “annoyed” by the inaccurate claim in the report and would complain to the W.H.O. about it in a meeting Wednesday afternoon with the head of the orgamization. “It’s sad, it’s regrettable, but at least they retracted the error,” Ms. Makri said. “It appears that this was not an intentional attempt to cause harm, but a real mistake.”

Liz Alderman contributed reporting.

Liz Alderman contributed reporting.