Early diagnosis is essential to prevent new HIV infections

USPA NEWS - The next December 1, World AIDS Day is celebrated. This is the deadline set by the World Health Organization and the United Nations to strengthen the response to the epidemic, and has the support of governments around the world.

In Spain, 92.3% of patients diagnosed with HIV are receiving antiretroviral treatment. In total 104,769 people are being treated with these drugs, according to the notification of the regions to the general registration Spanish Ministry of Health. The mortality in patients with HIV has declined 54% in the period 2003-2013, according to data from the National Statistics Institute. However, it is estimated that currently live in Spain between 130,000 and 160,000 people infected with HIV, of which between 25% and 30% are undiagnosed. Early diagnosis is important to prevent further infections and initiate treatment.

Despite improvements in more than 30 years into the epidemic in protecting the rights of people with HIV still persist situations of discrimination in different areas of daily life. According to the latest survey by the Center for Sociological Research (CIS in its Spanish acronym) in 2013, which included several questions about HIV at the request of the National Plan on AIDS, 11.4% of respondents are uncomfortable with the neighborhood people HIV and in the workplace, 11.3% disapprove share office with a person with HIV infection.

In 2014 they have been reported in Spain 3,366 new diagnoses of HIV infection, representing a rate of 7.25 per 100,000 population. It is estimated that by 2014 the rate will be 9.34 per 100,000 when completed notification of all diagnoses that year. Most newly diagnosed are male (84.7%) and the mean age at diagnosis is 35 years. The most common route of transmission was sexual in 2014, 80% of all cases (53.9% in men who have sex with men (MSM) and 26% in heterosexuals). Transmission in drug users (PID) is injected, it remained at low levels (3.4%).

Last year, the age group that has both the highest proportion of new HIV diagnoses and the highest rate per 100,000 population was between 25 and 34 years, although 13.4% of newly reported HIV diagnoses in 2014 he had 50 or more years. 46.2% of new diagnoses in 2014 was made belatedly. The group had a higher proportion of late diagnosis was that of people who inject drugs (75.0%) and heterosexual men (58.6%). Moreover, the delay in HIV testing increased significantly with age, higher in patients older than 49 years. New diagnoses in people born outside of Spain have fallen from 40% in 2009 to 32.2% in 2014. The most common source regions were Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa.