Europe is facing a silent crisis in the fight against HIV: more than half of those infected with the virus are diagnosed late, significantly reducing the chances of effective treatment and increasing the risk of transmission. European Center for Disease Prevention and Control … The European Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) and the WHO Regional Office for Europe warn that this critical gap in detection threatens the goal of eliminating AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
According to the annual report issued by the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention on the occasion of World AIDS DayWhich is celebrated on December 1, 2024. 105,922 diagnoses of the virus have been recorded in 53 countries in Europe and Central Asia. Although the total number decreased slightly compared to 2023, 54% of diagnoses were late, a percentage that is higher among those who contracted the virus through transmission between genders, especially men, and among people who inject drugs.
In the European Union and European Economic Area, 24,164 diagnoses were reported, a rate of 5.3 per 100,000 population. 48% of them were discovered in advanced stages. Transmission between men who have sex with men remains the most common route (48%), but cases of heterosexual sex are increasing and now represent 46%.
In Spain, according to the Ministry of Health, these results show that Spain maintains a rate of new diagnoses similar to that in Western Europe, although it is higher than the EU average and the downward trend continues in both new HIV diagnoses and AIDS cases.
“In the EU/EEA, nearly half of diagnoses arrive late. “We must urgently innovate in our testing strategies,” warned Pamela Rende-Wagner, director of the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention, stressing the need for community testing, self-diagnosis and rapid referral to care.
In the EU/EEA, migrants account for more than half of new cases, highlighting the need for culturally accessible services.
UNAIDS
From the World Health Organization, Regional Director Hans-Henri B. warned… Kluge of the “silent crisis” of people with undiagnosed HIV: “We are not doing enough to eliminate the stigma and discrimination that prevent people from getting a simple test.”
Added to the European crisis is a serious problem. According to the annual report of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, the year 2025 marks 2025 The biggest setback in the HIV response since the 1980s, due to severe cuts in international funding and lack of global solidarity.
In the report Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS responseThe report presented by UNAIDS reveals that outpatient healthcare will decline by between 30% and 40% in 2025, according to OECD estimates. The impact is immediate and devastating in low- and middle-income countries.
40.8 million people are living with HIV, and 9.2 million people are still not receiving treatment
“The funding crisis has exposed the fragility of the progress we fought so hard for,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “Behind every piece of information there are people: children without early testing, young women without preventative support, and communities deprived of basic services.”
The document highlights that prevention programs have been hardest hit, specifically, in three aspects: the sudden decline in access to services; Pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP (a strategy to prevent HIV infection, which involves taking medication); A significant decline in voluntary medical circumcision of males and the dismantling of programs for young women.
UNAIDS warns that if the world fails to meet its 2030 targets, there could be 3.3 million new infections between 2025 and 2030.
Today, 40.8 million people are living with HIV, and 9.2 million people are still not receiving treatment. On the eve of World AIDS Day, UNAIDS calls for a reaffirmation of global solidarity and multilateralism; Maintain and strengthen international finance; Investing in innovation, expanding access to long-acting medicines, defending human rights, and strengthening community leadership.