The number of new HIV diagnoses in Europe increased by 12%

The number of new diagnoses of people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) increased by almost 12% from 2022 to 2023, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) noted this Thursday on the eve of World AIDS Day. .

ECDC noted in a joint report with the World Health Organization (WHO) that The most likely reason is increased testing and more diagnoses among immigrants.

In 2023, nearly 113 000 people were diagnosed with HIV in the WHO European region, which also includes countries in eastern Europe and several former Soviet republics, up 2.4% from 2022.

More than half the countries in the region have seen an increase in the number of diagnoses, and some countries have recorded record levels over the past decade, which the study also explains An increase in case detection has been observed since the Covid-19 pandemic.

The report highlights that more than half of diagnoses in the European region are made late, resulting in more people affected and increasing the risk of AIDS-related deaths.

“The results demonstrate the urgent need for preventiontake tests on time and make a diagnosis and access to treatment to improve health and curb HIV transmission and reduce HIV stigma,” the ECDC said in a statement.

Since the outbreak of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, 2.6 million people in the European region have been diagnosed with HIV, including 650 000 in the EU and European Economic Area (EEA).

It is estimated that almost one in three people infected do not know their status, a percentage that falls to less than 10% in the EU/EEA.