HIV diagnoses are increasing in 30 countries of the European Union and the European Economic Area (EU/EEA). The data reveals that 110,486 HIV diagnoses were made in the European region in 2022, bringing the total number of diagnoses to 2.4 million. An important fact concerns immigrants, that is, people who were not born in the country of diagnosis and refugees from Ukraine. Researchers point out that even in European countries, including Italy, testing is often done late in the day, when the disease is already at an advanced stage, making antiretroviral treatments less effective. “The WHO European region has the fastest growing HIV epidemic in the world,” said Henri Kluge, director of the World Health Organization’s European office, on the occasion of the 35th World AIDS Day, which falls on December 1. “With the resources and technology at our disposal to diagnose, treat and prevent transmission, no one in the WHO European Region should get AIDS or even die from it,” Kluge said. he emphasized.
Infections unknown for years in Italy
According to the report jointly published by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the total HIV case notification rate in 2022 was 5.1 per 100 thousand people. EU/EEA countries. While this figure corresponds to a significant increase (around 31%) compared to 2021, it corresponds to a decrease of 3.8% compared to 2019. However, the incidence in Italy is below the average observed among European Union countries (3.2 per 100 thousand people). . Last year there were 1,888 HIV diagnoses in Italy; this was 2% more than 2021 and 34% more than 2020. However, this strong difference is also influenced by the experience of the pandemic and the collapse in diagnoses recorded in 2020. by 44%. Overall, the 2022 figure is 25% lower than 2019, with cases down by more than half compared to 10 years ago. More than half (58%) of Italian people who discovered they were HIV positive in 2022 were in an advanced stage of the disease; that is, his immune status was seriously weakened and he even already had AIDS; In this case, the infection remained unrecognized for a long time. years. According to the report of the Italian High Institute of Health, this situation has serious consequences on the effectiveness of antiretroviral treatment, and in case of late diagnosis, this rate is lower. It also increases the likelihood of accidental HIV transmission due to inadequate protection use.
Impact of Ukrainian refugees
In a paper published in Eurosurveillance, a group of researchers examined these data to assess the potential impact of the war in Ukraine on diagnoses. Scientists have observed how the increase in new HIV diagnoses can be attributed to various factors, including the resumption of surveillance activities in many countries, the increase and implementation of new testing strategies. Migration patterns, the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions and the arrival of large numbers of refugees also had an impact on this. Ukrainians have a special influence. After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, more than 4 million people took refuge in the European Union and European Economic Area countries. In 2022, 10% of all new HIV diagnoses in the EU/EEA were reported among Ukrainian refugees. These are 2,338 diagnoses. Of these, 9% were diagnosed for the first time in the reporting country, while the majority (59%) were informed of their HIV status before 2022. For nearly a third (32%), this information was unknown. Half of people previously diagnosed with HIV were on antiretroviral therapy at the time of reporting in 2022.
late test
Those most affected are women with 1,558 cases, and the primary mode of transmission is heterosexual sex. The authors of the study also emphasized that: “Among cases with known data on previous diagnosis, the prevalence of late diagnosis of HIV (47.0%) and AIDS (18.9%) among newly diagnosed persons indicates the urgent need for personalized early testing and linkage to urgent treatments.” “underlines the need.” Care in host countries,” the document reads. The researchers note that “prevention accessible to new immigrant populations, including HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), needle and syringe programs, and drug treatment for people who use drugs, is particularly important given that refugees are at increased risk of hoarding.” Considering this, it is very important.”
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
