HIV/AIDS - Annual Epidemiological Report for 2014

Key facts

• HIV infection remains a major public health concern in EU/EEA countries, with 30 000 to 33 000 new infections 
• reported each year. In contrast, the overall number of AIDS cases has continued to steadily decline with increasing use of effective antiretroviral treatment.  
• In 2014, 29 958 people were diagnosed with HIV in the 31 countries of the EU/EEA, a rate of 5.9 per 100 000 population. 
• This figure underestimates the true rate due to the delay in reporting HIV diagnoses and under-reporting in a number of countries.
• The majority (77%) of people diagnosed with HIV in 2014 were men and the highest proportion of all new diagnoses (42%) 
• were attributed to sex between men. Heterosexual contact accounted for 33% of cases and injecting drug use for 4%. 
• When adjusted for reporting delay, the overall rate of HIV diagnoses per 100 000 population has remained fairly stable between 2005 and 2014. However, there is an increase in the proportion of new diagnoses attributed to sex between men, while all other risk group transmission modes have decreased.

Methods

Click here for a detailed description of the methods used to produce this annual report

• In 2014, all 31 countries of the EU/EEA reported case-based HIV data in accordance with standard EU/EEA case definitions, while 30 countries reported case-based AIDS data.
• All HIV and AIDS data are from case-based surveillance.
• To correct for reporting delay, a statistical approach using historical data from 2005 to 2014 was applied [1]. Countries were excluded from reporting delay adjustment when they: i) showed an inconsistent and non-stationary pattern in their reporting delay distribution during the period 2005–2014, or ii) reported aggregated data during the period 2005–2014. Reporting delays were taken into account for the calculation of graphs on transmission mode and disease trends.

- See more at: http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/healthtopics/aids/Pages/Annual-Epidemiological…