Joint WHO/Europe and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) surveillance report on HIV/AIDS in the WHO European Region

HIV infection remains a major public health issue in Europe, with evidence of increasing transmission of HIV in several countries. Case reporting data from 2007 show that the number of newly reported cases in the WHO European Region continues to rise. Between 2000 and 2007, the annual rate of HIV infection has almost doubled, from 39 to 75 per million population.

Important new data submitted by countries to the new joint WHO/European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) database for HIV/AIDS surveillance were discussed at a meeting of the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the ECDC held in November 2008 and are available in a joint ECDC/WHO report on HIV/AIDS surveillance in Europe (see box).

The main findings of the report are:

• In 2007, 48 892 newly diagnosed cases of HIV infection were reported from 49 of the 53 countries in the WHO European Region (data not available for Austria, Italy, Monaco and the Russian Federation). The highest HIV rates were reported from Estonia, Ukraine, Portugal and the Republic of Moldova. In the 44 countries that have consistently provided data since 2000, the annual number of newly diagnosed cases increased from 21 787 to 41 949. 5244 cases of AIDS were reported by 48 countries.
• In 2007, 26 279 newly diagnosed cases of HIV infection were reported in the countries of the European Union (EU) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). In the EU/EFTA, the highest rates were reported from Estonia, Portugal and Latvia; the lowest rates were reported by Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Romania.
• In EU/EFTA countries, the predominant mode of HIV transmission is sex between men, followed by heterosexual contact. Around 40% of heterosexual cases are reported among people originating from countries with generalized HIV/AIDS epidemics.
• Injecting drug use is still the main mode of HIV transmission in the eastern part of the WHO European Region. In the central part, the predominant mode of transmission is heterosexual contact, although the number of HIV cases reported among men who have sex with men has also increased. The number of HIV cases reported among men having sex with men has also increased. In the West, the predominant mode is sex between men, followed by heterosexual contact, when cases in persons originating from countries with generalized epidemics are excluded.
• Overall, despite incomplete reporting, the number of reported newly diagnosed cases of HIV infection in 2007 has increased while the number of diagnosed AIDS cases continued to decline. However in the eastern part of the WHO European Region, the number of AIDS cases continues to increase.
• The number of diagnosed AIDS cases continued to decline in the WHO European Region overall, although AIDS incidence has continued to increase in the East.