Brussels, 30/11/2005 (Agence Europe) - “Young people across Europe and neighbouring countries are among the main victims of a resurgence of the deadly HIV/AIDS epidemic”, it is asserted in a press release issued by the Commission in the run up to World AIDS Day on 1 December. Data from the EU-funded “Euro-HIV” indicates that the number of people newly diagnosed with HIV is increasing steadily. In the 20 EU countries for which data was available for the last 4 years, the total number of reported new HIV diagnoses have increased by 23%. The escalation has been largest in the United Kingdom, with a 69% rise. In 2004, 71,755 cases were reported in the whole WHO European Region (52 countries). This is almost double the number of cases diagnosed in 1999. According to new UNAIDS estimates, 2.3 million people are living with HIV/AIDS in the European Region. To help combat the rise of the epidemic in Europe and neighbouring countries, the Commission will shortly adopt a Communication detailing concrete steps for 2006-2009, involving civil society, partnerships with industry, surveillance, prevention of new infections, drug dependence, education, counselling and testing, research and initiatives for neighbouring countries. The Commission is continuing to invest in research projects focussing on new drugs as well as microbicides and vaccines to prevent the spread of the virus.
Since 1984, the Euro-HIV surveillance network, http: //http://www.eurohiv.org , which is part funded by the European Commission, has been coordinating the surveillance activities on HIV/AIDS within the 52 countries of the WHO European Region. In 2008, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), http: //ecdc.eu.int, will take responsibility for the network. According to its data, injecting drugs is still the main source of transmission and contributes to an increasingly large share of new HIV infections. Most of the infected are young and sexually active. In the EU, HIV infection through heterosexual sex and among homo- and bisexual men is increasing.
At the European Parliament, the president, Josep Borrell made a statement at the opening of the plenary session on 30 November, reinforcing the message that no effort must be spared in Europe and the rest of the world to check the AIDS pandemic. Luisa Morgantini (GUE/NGL, Italy) and several other MEPs handed out red ribbons at the entrance to the chamber. At a press conference to be held on 1 December, Mrs Morgantini will again raise the issue of difficulty of access to antiretroviral drugs in poor countries.
Drug prices continue to get higher and higher, according to EATG (European AIDS Treatment Group), threatening to cause HIV patients serious difficulties accessing their medication even in Europe. At the 10th European AIDS Conference, on 19 November in Dublin, Davis Haerry condemned the the price charged by drug company Boehringer Ingelheim for its latest protease inhibitor, Aptivus, (24 euro per day, though adding in the other drugs needed for this compound to be effective means the treatment could cost 75 euro per day approximately).
According to UNAIDS figures, in 2004 five million people across the world were infected with HIV and 3.1 millions, including 570,000 children, died of AIDS. 6.5 million people are in urgent need of ARV treatment.