HIV: 2013 increase in new diagnoses
All content is checked by medical journalists.MunichMore and more HIV infections are being reported in Germany. The dangerous virus is often brought from abroad - this is reported by the Robert Koch Institute.
Especially more women affected
More than 3,200 people were diagnosed with HIV-positive in 2013; the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has now presented these figures. That is ten percent more than in the previous year. Most of the new diagnoses were made in homosexual men, but their number changed only slightly compared to 2012. It is different with heterosexual transmission: There were 109 more cases than in the previous year. Overall, significantly more men are affected by an HIV diagnosis (2,660 cases), but a large increase was only recorded among women: in 2013 there were a third more new diagnoses in women than in 2012.
Infections from abroad
The authors rated the increase in HIV infections acquired abroad as particularly striking. They cite an increase in immigration to Germany and a doubling of asylum seekers compared to the previous year as possible reasons. There was an increase in new diagnoses, especially among migrant women from sub-Saharan Africa.
According to the RKI experts, the number of new infections cannot be used to infer the current infection rate directly. Years often pass between infection and diagnosis. In addition, improved data and more research by doctors could have contributed to the higher numbers. The fact that there is an increase in women in particular could also be due to the fact that they are tested more frequently during pregnancy and generally go to the doctor more often.
So there is by no means the all-clear for AIDS. It is all the more important to protect yourself during sexual intercourse. If you don't know your sexual partner exactly, you should always use a condom. (away)
Source: Robert Koch Institute: HIV Infections and AIDS Diseases in Germany, Epidemiological Bulletin, June 30, 2014.
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