HIV: thousands unaware of their infection

The number of new infections with HIV in Germany has fallen slightly. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) on the occasion of world AIDS day on 1. December. Fatal, however, is that nearly 12,000 people live in this country with HIV, without even knowing it.

In the year 2017, approximately 2,700 people have been infected with HIV. That’s 200 less than in the previous year. "Thanks to the successful prevention work and of the good treatment options Germany is already one of the countries with the lowest HIV infection rates in Europe. But the fight against HIV and AIDS is still a long way vorbei", Federal Minister of health, Jens Spahn says. That’s why Spahn has released this year, HIV self-tests for home use (aponet.de reported). In addition, health insurance companies were obliged to apply from 2019, the drug protect against infection (PrEP) for groups with an increased risk of infection.

The HIV self-test should appeal especially to people who know nothing of their infection and therefore not treated. The subject in this country, according to the RKI estimate of 11,400 people. Through therapy, the viral load in the blood can be lowered so far that the Infected are for other infectious and even a largely normal life expectancy. A total of approximately 86.100 people lived by the end of 2017 with HIV in Germany. The largest affected group (53.000) are men who have Sex with men.

NK