More than half of people living with HIV in Europe are diagnosed too late, threatening efforts to end AIDS by 2030, according to data published on Thursday 27 November by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and WHO/Europe.
In 2024, 105,922 new cases were diagnosed in the WHO European Region, which covers 53 countries in Europe and Central Asia. Of these cases, 54% were identified late, i.e. with a CD4 lymphocyte count of less than 350/mm³, making antiretroviral treatment less effective and increasing the risk of transmission and complications.
In the EU and the European Economic Area (30 countries), 24,164 new diagnoses were recorded, representing a rate of 5.3 per 100,000 population. Almost half (48%) of these diagnoses are late. Sex between men remains the most common mode of transmission (48%), but heterosexual infections are on the rise.
Migrants are particularly hard hit, according to the data (more than half of new infections in the EU/EEA). Experts are calling for innovative screening strategies. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)