Alert on the increase of AIDS cases in Eastern Europe | Europe by day | DW

Experts gathered from this Monday (23.07.2018) at the International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam warned against a decline in the fight against the disease, as well as an alarming increase in infections in Europe. Central and Eastern Asia

Lack of political will, funding and discrimination prevent the effective fight against the epidemic in the world, said scientists and activists gathered at the opening of the largest expert meeting on the disease. "The biggest barriers at the end of the epidemic have ideological and political causes," said President of the International AIDS Society and event president, Linda-Gail Bekker.

And the increase in new infections with the AIDS virus, HIV, in Eastern Europe and Central Asia is alarming, has alerted the acitivists of this region. There are approximately 190,000 new infections each year, 80% of which in Russia, reported six organizations. In addition, only a minority of patients have access to medication, they said.

The Joint United Nations Program on HIV / AIDS (UNAIDS) manages more than 130,000 new cases of infection. Eastern Europe and Central Asia are also, according to the UN, the regions in which the epidemic is progressing most rapidly. Initially, UNAIDS proposed in 2014 to stop the spread of the virus until 2030, but this goal now seems unattainable, with some 50 countries in which infections are increasing. In some countries and regions of the world "we are seeing again how the epidemic is developing again," said Gail-Bekker. (dpa)