In 2006, a total of 86,912 new HIV infections were reported across 50 of the 53 countries of the WHO (World Health Organisation) European region, the latest EuroHIV report released on 23 November in Tallinn, Estonia, shows. 30% of those cases were recorded in EU member states.

Most EU countries display slower infection rates, amounting to an average of 67 new cases per million inhabitants. Including European countries which are not part of the EU, approximately 111 out of one million inhabitants contracted the human immunodeficiency virus in 2006, says the report, which was presented by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

Transmission patterns and numbers vary strongly from one region of the European continent to the other: Two thirds of all new HIV diagnoses are found in the countries of the former Soviet Union. There, the predominant mode of transmission - in those cases where information on the probable route of transmission was available - was injecting drug use (IDU), responsible for over 22,000 out nearly 60,000 infections. More than a quarter of new carriers are between 15 and 24 years of age and 41% are female.

By far the highest rate of new infections (504 per one million inhabitants) was recorded in Estonia. 'In response to the high levels of HIV infection being reported, Estonia has launched an ambitious long-term plan for 2006 to 2015,' said ECDC's director Zsuzanna Jakab at the launch of the HIV/AIDS Surveillance in Europe report. 'This plan includes new initiatives on surveillance, prevention and treatment. We at ECDC are supportive of the work being done by the Estonian government to reverse the trend of increasing HIV infection rates. On behalf of ECDC, I have pledged to support Estonia in a number of priority areas, including on surveillance, sharing country experiences and providing European guidance on HIV testing.'

In the west of Europe including Belgium, France, Germany, Scandinavia, the UK and other countries, nearly 25,500 new cases have been reported - this is equivalent to 82.5 new HIV-carriers per million inhabitant. More than half of new infections in those countries were likely contracted through heterosexual contacts 'of which a large proportion were among persons originating from countries with generalised epidemics' such as sub-Saharan Africa, the report states.

The lowest rate of infection was recorded in central Europe, which comprises Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Poland and others: A total of 1,805 new cases (9.4 per million inhabitants) was recorded, heterosexual contacts being the prevalent origin of infection (572 cases).

In order to address the spreading infection, the report suggests a number of distinct measures: For instance, in the east, prevention and care programmes addressing, first and foremost, injecting drug users should be established. In the west, on the other hand, campaigns need to be targeted at heterosexuals, especially in migrant communities, while maintaining programmes for other groups.

A more detailed article is available online on the Eurosurveillance website, the ECDC's peer-reviewed scientific journal on communicable diseases. As of January 2008, the ECDC together with the WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO EURO) will be in charge of the yearly report, taking over from the European dedicated surveillance network EuroHIV.

Source: Community R&D Information Service (CORDIS)