Europe and the former Soviet Union countries are failing to turn the tide of the HIV epidemic, according to stark new figures published yesterday.
In ten years the number of cases in central Asia and eastern Europe has doubled – largely, it is thought, because of abuse of injecting drugs.
To the west, the countries of the European Union and its allies have also failed to turn the tide, according to the World Health Organisation.
Across Europe and central Asia some 136,000 new cases of HIV were diagnosed last year, according to WHO – an increase of 80% in ten years.
This included some 105,000 in eastern Europe and central Asia together with 29,000 in the European Union and the European Economic Area.
WHO regional director Zsuzsanna Jakab said: “Europe has not managed to reach the 2015 Millennium Development Goal target to halt and reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS, and time is running out.
"While we are increasingly facing emerging health threats, this reminds us that we cannot afford to drop our guard on HIV/AIDS."
Leave a Reply