The number of newly diagnosed HIV cases in Europe has hit an all-time high of 142,000, according to The World Health Organization [4]. "Despite all the efforts to fight the disease," WHO officials note that the rise of the epidemic is primarily attributed to Eastern Europe, where new diagnoses have more than doubled. But it is comments from European Centre for Disease Prevention Control acting director Andrea Ammon [4] that raised a number of witch-huntery eye-brows when she explained migrants and refugees were at a high risk of infection after they arrived in Europe, because social exclusion made them more likely to engage in risky behavior.
“Despite all the efforts to fight HIV, this year the European Region has reached over 142,000 new HIV infections, the highest number ever,” says Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe. As The Indepedent reports,
The World Health Organisation said the figure was the largest the continent had suffered since case reports began in the 1980s.
“This is a serious concern”.
This rise of the epidemic is primarily attributed to Eastern Europe, where new diagnoses have more than doubled in the past decade.
WHO says the increase in the Eastern region is mainly due to heterosexual transmission and injected drug use.
However, sex between men is still the most common mode of HIV transmission across the continent.
European Centre for Disease Prevention Control acting director Andrea Ammon said: “Europe has to scale up its efforts to reach out to this group. This includes looking at new strategies such as pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV and access to care for EU citizens residing in other EU countries.”
Dr Jakab warned that migrants and refugees were at a high risk of infection after they arrived in Europe, because social exclusion made them more likely to engage in risky behaviour. Only half of European Union and European Economic Area countries provide free treatment for undocumented migrants.
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While this explanation may make medical (and psychological) sense, one can't help but feel the timing and specificity of the warnings and explanations smacks of piling on propaganda as EU leaders argue over what to do about the migrant 'issue'. From refugees to HIV-carrying terrorists - what next? Habitual puppy-murders?
