One in three people in Europe with HIV does not know they have the virus

According to the report, in 2023, almost 113,000 cases in 47 countries of the region, an increase of 2.4% compared to 2022, driven by greater testing efforts and detection policies after the covid-19 pandemic.

Furthermore, more than half of diagnoses (52% in the total region, 53% in the EU/EEA) are made in advanced stages, increasing risks of AIDS-related complications and deaths.

The document warns that only 70% of people with HIV in the region know their status; Of course, there are great disparities: 92% in the EU/EEA, but only 40% in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

In Spain, according to the Ministry of Health The number of undiagnosed people with HIV has been reduced by almost half (-42.3%) in the last four years: from 13% to 7.5%. This evolution places the rate of people diagnosed with HIV at 92.5% and positions Spain on the path to achieving the 95% objective set for the Agenda 2030 of the United Nations Organization (UN).

According to the latest data published by the Carlos III Health Institute In coordination with the Ministry of Health, 92.5% of people living with HIV in Spain would know their infection diagnosis, 96.6% are receiving antiretroviral treatment and 90.4% have a suppressed viral load.

If 95% of people with HIV have an undetectable viral load, the virus becomes untransmittable.

UNAIDS established as a goal to end HIV infection as a public health problem that, by 2020, 90% of people with HIV infection would be diagnosed, 90% of them would be on antiretroviral treatment and of these 90% had suppressed viral load. This objective, called 90-90-90, is extended to 95-95-95 to be achieved in the year 2030, as part of goal 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Spain is aligned with these global objectives and makes periodic estimates of progress in these three indicators.

Regarding the routes of transmission, sexual transmission is the most common throughout the region, with heterosexual predominance in the east, while in the west and the EU/EEA both sex between men and heterosexual relationships stand out.

The report highlights the need for interventions adapted according to subregions.

Thus, for example, in the east and center, innovative testing and combined prevention strategies must be prioritized, while in the EU/EEA, access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) must be improved and barriers related to immigration status must be eliminated. to ensure equitable services.

In this sense, Hans Henri P. KlugeRegional Director of WHO Europe, emphasized the urgency of fighting stigma, normalizing testing and funding prevention to stop new infections and transmission. «The greatest obstacles that persist in the fight against HIV/AIDS in our region are restrictive and intolerant environments, stigma, discrimination and even criminalization of HIV transmission, as well as the inconsistent adoption of evidence-based interventions. We must create safe spaces for people to access health services, normalize testing and ensure policies are compassionate, not punitive. “We also need to increase funding for prevention, preventing new HIV infections from occurring in the first place and stopping transmission,” he said.

Pamela Rendi-WagnerDirector of the ECDC, stressed the need to reduce late diagnoses. ‘The EU/EEA has made great progress in improving access to testing and reducing the number of people living with HIV without knowing it, but there is still work to do. With more than half of diagnoses being made late, it is vital to focus on involving key populations and the most vulnerable to ensure they can be diagnosed early and access the prevention, treatment and care they need to live long and full lives.