Copenhagen, 30 nov (EFE).-more than 118,000 new cases of infected by the virus of human immunodeficiency (HIV) were detected in 2010 in Europe, according to a report by the World Health Organization (who), released today.
More than three-quarters of all new cases are located in the East of the continent, according to data from 51 of the 53 countries of the Regional Office for Europe of the who, based in Copenhagen.
The number of infections by HIV in the region has multiplied by 2.5 since 2001, reaching at the end of 2010 about 1.4 million people, counting 712.477 registered cases, another 500,000 diagnosed in Russia and nearly 180,000 in countries without registration prior to 2002-2004, as France, Italy and Spain.
“Current activities to reduce HIV infection rates are not sufficient to control and reverse the epidemic of HIV in Europe”, said in a statement Zsuzsanna Jakab, Director of who for Europe.
To restrain the “alarming increase”, the Member countries of the region have launched the European Action Plan against HIV/AIDS by 2012-2015, which aims to inter alia to achieving universal access to prevention and treatment of HIV.
New data made public today by the who and the European Centre for the prevention and control of diseases (ECDC) confirm that the epidemic is concentrated above all on marginalized social groups such as immigrants, or whose behaviour is stigmatized (homosexuals) or illegal (drug users). EFE
