A Dublin-based charity today revealed it was very concerned at the rise in the number of new injecting drug users attending their health services.
Merchants Quay Ireland, which works with homeless people and drug users, said the number of new injecting users attending their Health Promotion Unit during 2005 increased by 6 per cent to 450 on the previous year.
Tony Geoghegan, the director of Merchants Quay Ireland, said: "We are greatly concerned that the numbers of new injectors we are seeing remains so high. Changing trends and patterns in drug use, such as the increased availability and use of cocaine, have also impacted on our services.
"Our city-centre-based health promotion and needle-exchange programmes remain very busy, a fact that reflects the need for accessible needle-exchange services in all areas where injecting drug use is an issue," Mr Geoghegan said.
"All the evidence suggests that the earlier we engage with injecting drug users, and the more accessible services are, the greater the uptake of those services and the more positive the outcomes."
The service's annual report also found a significant number of people from European Union states who moved to Ireland were seeking help from their homeless services.
Mr Geoghegan said the country was now ten years into an economic boom and had the resources needed to address both the drugs and homeless issues.