Eastern European HIV Diagnoses at All-Time High

The HIV epidemic is still ongoing in the developed world — particularly in Eastern Europe.

Although the overall pace of HIV increases in the region is slowing, Eastern Europe still saw a rise in new cases in 2017, according to a report issued by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control and the World Health Organization.

The #HIV epidemic in Europe is still growing, particularly in Eastern Europe,

~ 160,000 people were newly diagnosed with #AIDS in the region in 2017. Over 130,000 of those diagnoses were in Europe's eastern region, the most ever reported there.https://t.co/SbPVChV1AT pic.twitter.com/QhQ8skvRMQ

— Microbes&Infection (@MicrobesInfect) November 28, 2018

Nearly 160,000 people were newly infected in Europe last year, and more than 130,000 of those diagnoses were among people in the East — the most ever recorded there, CNN reported.

More than 51 people per 100,000 contracted the disease — a rate that was “disproportionately higher” than in the West, which saw 6.4 new cases per 100,000 people.

Rates were highest in Russia, (71 people per 100,000), followed by Ukraine and Belarus.

As of now, Europe — and the rest of the world — remains behind its goal of eliminating HIV by 2030.

“We are quite far behind achieving those targets, particularly in Eastern Europe and Central Asia,” said Dr. Masoud Dara, coordinator of communicable diseases and HIV team leader at WHO Europe.

“The significance in this report is that we can see a sharp difference between Eastern Europe and the European Union where the number of HIV infection numbers is dropping.”

The report comes just tow days before the 30th annual World AIDS Day on Saturday, Dec. 1. The day has been dedicated to raising awareness and funds to help combat the disease since 1988.