AIDS spreads in Eastern Europe DW Company

Experts fear that the progress made in recent years in the fight against AIDS could be reversed by the current situation in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, where the number of HIV infections is rising year-over-year in year, despite the global trend. The pace of new HIV infections would be alarming in both regions, warns local AIDS activists. Every year, there are 190,000 new people infected with HIV, 80% of whom will come from Russia, experts from six organizations involved in the fight against this disease that affects the immune system said. Only a minority of these patients would have access to the necessary drugs.

The United Nations Program on AIDS, Unaids set off an alarm: it would now be compromised by the fixed target that, by 2020, to provide treatment for 30 million people infected with HIV in the world. In 50 countries, the number of HIV infections has increased, although the overall trend is clear: in 2017, AIDS killed 940,000 people worldwide, a million fewer than in 2005. [19659002LasituationpréoccupanteenEuropedel'Estestl'undesthèmesprincipauxdelaconférenceannuelled'AmsterdamDanslamétropolenéerlandaise15000expertsde160paysdiscutentdesmoyensdeluttercontrecetteépidémied'icivendrediC'estla22èmerencontredecetypeimpliquantdesscientifiquesdesmilitantsdespatientsetdespoliticiensLedébatestsousladevisesuivante"Briserlesbarrières-Construiredesponts"

The spread of HIV infections in Eastern Europe and Central Asia would be a phenomenon that could have been hindered, criticized the the chairman of the conference, the Dutch professor Peter Reiss. The researcher hopes for a change of mentality in these regions: "If something changes in these countries after our conference, then it would be the most successful."

One of the reasons for the spread of the epidemic would be the stigmatization of certain social groups in the greatest danger of disease. The six organizations representing people infected with HIV launched a campaign called "Hunt the virus, not the people". They expect stronger political pressure, particularly from the European Union. Activists report on systematic persecution and discrimination against homosexuals, prostitutes and drug addicts. For this reason, people who belong to these social groups would refuse to be tested for possible HIV infection

Good News from Africa

For decades , the fight against AIDS mainly focused on the African continent. And today, of the 37 million people infected with HIV, most are in Africa. But here's the good news: Representatives from Kenya, Ghana, and Rwanda reported that detection and treatment of HIV infections work best

The most affected country is South Africa, where seven million people are infected with HIV. But the positive news is that in this state, the number of new infections has dropped by 40% between 2010 and 2017, according to a UN report. In addition, many more people now have access to treatment. However, in Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire, according to the same report, there is almost no progress

os / mw (dpa, afp)