In Europe there is an HIV epidemic
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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WHO and the European Center for Disease Control call on countries to increase the effectiveness of methods for the prevention, detection and treatment of populations at risk of HIV disease, and to strengthen control over the health of refugees and migrants.
Last year, more than 140,000 people were diagnosed with new HIV infections, according to experts, this is the maximum number of new infections since the first detection of the disease in 1980.
According to the Center for Disease Prevention, the increase in the incidence of HIV is associated with the situation in the eastern part, where the number of new cases of infection with a dangerous virus more than doubled.
The spread of the virus is still sexually transmitted and among people who use injecting drugs. In the countries of the European Union, the leading place is taken by transmission of the virus between homosexuals. Two-thirds of new cases are registered among Europeans, the rest are migrants and residents of other countries.
But, despite all efforts to combat the spread of HIV, the European countries have detected the greatest number of new cases of infection since the beginning of registration.
WHO is concerned about the current situation and urges countries to take maximum efforts and, finally, to stop the spread of the virus.
Since 2004, the number of new infections in the European economic zone and the countries of the European Union has increased more than twice, while in other countries the situation is reverse - the number of new cases of infection has decreased by 25%. But in general, the situation with the spread of HIV can be considered unchanged.
WHO experts point out that the epidemic is associated with insufficient effectiveness of measures taken in response.
Among migrants in Europe, the detection rate of new HIV cases has decreased, according to new data, the virus infection occurs after coming to Europe. People who survived military conflicts or natural disasters face a new problem - alienation on the part of the inhabitants of the country that adopted them. This leads to an increased risk of contracting a dangerous virus. The attitude of Europeans towards this category of people can push the latter towards risky behavior, while refugees and migrants do not have full access to HIV-related services.
In this regard, it is recommended that WHO provide migrants and refugees, regardless of their legal status, with a comprehensive list of HIV prevention, diagnosis and treatment services.
The main way of HIV transmission in the countries of the European Union is homosexuality. Since 2005, the level of infection among men who have sex with men has increased at a tremendous rate - in 9 years by 12%, while the increase was observed in all countries of the European Union.
Almost half of new HIV cases are detected in the late stages, which increases the risk of significant deterioration in health, mortality, and transmission of the virus.
The incidence of AIDS is declining, but two-thirds of new AIDS cases were recorded simultaneously with HIV diagnosis, or immediately afterwards, indicating that the immune system of HIV patients has already begun to fail.
The probability of late diagnosis among migrants and refugees is higher, but in half of the countries of the European Union this category of people is not provided treatment, since most of them are not officially registered.
The new WHO guidelines note that antiretroviral therapy is necessary for all patients with HIV, regardless of the level of CD4 cells. It is also recommended to expand the scale of early detection of the disease (including in the long term self-testing for HIV). According to experts, adherence to recommendations will improve the results of treatment and reduce the spread of the virus and mortality from HIV.
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