World AIDS day: 45 cases of HIV reported in Malta by end of October

In 2016 there were 58 cases of HIV diagnoses and 5 cases of AIDS diagnoses. By the end of October this year, there were 45 reported cases of HIV.

In a statement on the occasion of World AIDS Day, the Health Ministry said that Malta's strategy for action includes a combination of prevention, testing, linkage to care, care and monitoring and the creation of a supportive environment.

"It is known that one in two people living with HIV in Europe is diagnosed too late. In order to enhance testing, the rapid HIV test was made available from the GU Clinic in Malta as from October of this year," the ministry said.

This rapid test is easier to carry out as it collects a drop of blood from a finger-stick sample and produces results more quickly than the traditional laboratory-based HIV test. This rapid HIV testing therefore provides the results during a single counselling session in approximately 20 minutes.

Identification of asymptomatic HIV-positive patients benefits the individual as well as public health. Early diagnosis is important because it allows people to start HIV treatment sooner, which in turn increases their chances of living a long and healthy life. In addition to this, it aids in reducing the risk of transmitting HIV further.

Since it was made available, 28 rapid testing tests have been performed, and were all negative.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) European Region is the only region worldwide where the number of new HIV infections is on the rise. With more than 160,000 people newly diagnosed with HIV across the region, including more than 29,000 new cases from the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA), this trend continued in 2016.

One reason for this worrying trend is that over half (51%) of the reported HIV diagnoses occur at later stages of infection. On average, the ECDC has estimated that it takes a person about three years from the time of infection to be diagnosed, which is why the ECDC and the WHO continue to urge improvement in testing practices.

Malta's World AIDS Day 2017 campaign theme is "Stay protected...Use condoms" in an effort to promote awareness and enhance prevention measures for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases using various mediums. 

from The Malta Independent http://ift.tt/2i81vMg
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