Greeks self-inject HIV to claim benefits.

Aljazeeera reports :WHO has retracted the report and issued an apology regarding the erroneous information it contained.

A growing number of Greek residents have injected themselves with HIV so they can claim about $950 in monthly health benefits, according to a report commissioned by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The report, "Review of social determinants and the health divide in the WHO European Region", found cases of self-inflicted HIV infections in Greece, as the population continues to grapple with a deeply troubled economy.

The country's suicide rate has also skyrocketed, while healthcare access has declined.

"These adverse trends in Greece pose a warning to other countries undergoing significant fiscal austerity, including Spain, Ireland and Italy," the report noted.

"It also suggests that ways need to be found for cash-strapped governments to consolidate finances without undermining much-needed investments in health."

Despite severe austerity measures, which have prompted massive protests in Greece, the country's economy has continued to decline, with unemployment soaring to 27 percent.

Homicide and theft rates have correspondingly doubled, the WHO report said, adding: "Prostitution has also risen, probably as a response to economic hardship."

The WHO's report stated that almost half of new infections were attributable to self-infliction.

However, the report relies in part on an article in the medical journal Lancet, which references "accounts of deliberate self-infection by a few individuals to obtain access to benefits of €700 per month and faster admission onto drug substitution programmes."

Culled from Aljazeeera.