Under-diagnosis of HIV in the European Region means hundreds of thousands are not getting the care they need when they need it, new data shows. A new report to be launched on World AIDS Day, jointly published by the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), shows that since at least 2018 and through 2021 more people were infected with HIV in the European Region than had been diagnosed.
In contrast, in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA), there were slightly more diagnoses than HIV infections during the last decade, indicating that the number of people living with undiagnosed HIV is likely decreasing in many of those countries. Still an estimated 1 in 8 people living with HIV in the EU/EEA remains undiagnosed.
“We should all be deeply concerned by the data on HIV testing, treatment and care in Europe and central Asia. Continuing, widespread stigma around HIV is deterring people from getting tested and is steering us dangerously off course from meeting our 2030 goal of ending AIDS. “If we are to deliver on our promise, we must make access to HIV services equitable. We must work together to make sure that no one feels afraid of getting tested, nor shame, despair or isolation about their status. Everyone, everywhere should be able to get the services and respectful care they need,” said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.