According to new estimates, HIV infections in Germany are decreasing slightly: a survey conducted by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) shows that in 2018 around 2,400 people have newly infected with HIV. In 2017, there were around 2,500 new infections.
According to the report, fewer men have been infected with MSM and are considered the highest risk group for HIV infections: from 2200 new infections in 2013, the number fell to 1,600 in 2018 - a decline of about 27 percent.
This development is likely to be primarily due to the fact that men who have had sex with men have managed to increase their willingness to test and expand the range of tests, according to the RKI in its Epidemiological Bulletin. In addition, the recommendation for an immediate start of treatment has a positive effect. Successful therapy means that the passing on of HIV is no longer possible.
"This path should be consistently implemented, in particular by further improving the test offers and ensuring access to therapy for all people living with HIV in Germany," said RKI President Lothar Wieler.
Number of people with HIV infection has risen
The number of infections in people who inject drugs, however, has risen to a low level. About 310 people became infected with HIV in 2018 in this way.
Approximately every third new infection, according to the RKI, will not be diagnosed until the immune deficiency has progressed. In 2018, an estimated 440 people have died as a result of HIV infection. The total number of deaths since the beginning of the epidemic in the 1980s is estimated by the RKI scientists to be 29,200.
The number of people living with HIV in Germany is estimated to have risen to 87,900 by the end of 2018. Of these, about 10,600 cases have not yet been diagnosed, the report says. "If you do not know anything about your infection, you can pass on the virus unintentionally. In addition, mortality rates are higher for late diagnoses," said Wieler. Patients with late diagnoses often suffer from AIDS symptoms such as pneumonia caused by fungi.
The proportion of people with HIV diagnosed receiving antiretroviral treatment has steadily increased in recent years and now stands at 93 percent. In 95 percent of those treated the drugs are successful, so that those affected can no longer pass on the disease. Since 2015, the HIV treatment guidelines recommend promptly antiretroviral treatment of every diagnosed HIV infection in Germany. The recommendation to use condoms remains a cornerstone in the prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
more on the subject
The German Aidshilfe rated the decline in new infections as a success of prevention and HIV therapy. However, it was important to close further prevention gaps, demanded board member Sylvia Urban, inter alia, in view of rising new infections in drug users. Avoidable HIV infections also arise because there is still no custody of clean syringes and because people without residence papers have virtually no access to HIV therapy.
The RKI re-estimates the number of new HIV infections every year. Additional data and information as well as adaptation of the methodology can change the results of the calculations from year to year and provide an updated estimate of the entire history of the epidemic every year. The estimated new infections should not be confused with the new diagnoses reported at the RKI. Since HIV causes no conspicuous symptoms for many years, the time of infection can be older.
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