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COPENHAGEN, November 26 (Xinhua) – According to a report released Thursday by the European, people over the age of 50 are contributing factors while undiagnosed HIV cases are increasing across the European region as a whole. Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the Regional Office for Europe of the World Health Organization (WHO Europe).
“More than 136,000 people were newly diagnosed with HIV in 2019,” a joint press release from WHO Europe and ECDC said.
However, it is the statistical revelation that every second HIV diagnosis (53%) is made during the last stage of the infection, when the immune system is already beginning to fail, that draws the most concern from the report’s compilers.
Significantly, the report reveals that new diagnoses in the more prosperous countries of the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA) also decreased by 9% during the same period.
“Despite the focus on COVID-19 at this time, we must not lose sight of other public health problems such as HIV. Early diagnosis of HIV is an urgent priority,” said ECDC Director Andrea Ammon.
The report argues that the importance of early detection is that it allows people to start treatment for HIV earlier, which increases their chances of survival and prevents the possibility of further transmission.
A surprising finding from HIV / AIDS surveillance data for 2019 revealed that those diagnosed with HIV late increase in greater proportion with age.
Across the 53-member region, 67 percent of people aged 50 and over were diagnosed late in their HIV infection, one in five of newly diagnosed HIV.
“The reasons for this are not yet fully understood. It could be that the elderly themselves, or the healthcare workers who care for them, underestimate the risk of infection,” the report said.
The new report was released on the eve of World AIDS Day, celebrated annually on 1 December. World AIDS Day was introduced by WHO in 1988 to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic caused by HIV infection. Enditem
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