Europe’s new clean needles and condoms Aids strategy

The best way to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids is by getting people to use condoms and clean needles, the European Commission has said. “A correct and consistent use of condoms remains the most effective means of HIV prevention through sexual transmission, and provision of sterile needles and injecting equipment and substitution treatment are the most effective means of HIV prevention through injecting drug use," the commission told national governments and the European Parliament.

The number of Europeans living with the HIV and Aids has risen at a worrying rate since 2001, from 1.5 million to 2.2 million in 2007, according to figures from the EU executive in Brussels. About 730,000 of these people live in the 27 EU member countries, with about 3,000 deaths reported each year. In Russia, infection rates are even higher - every year 50,000 people die from the virus in the Eastern European nation. Reviewing it’s plan of attack against the sexually transmitted disease, the commission called for a three-pronged strategy based on improving prevention and testing; targeting high-risk groups such as homosexuals, drug-users and immigrants; and focusing on parts of Europe where Aids has spread the most.

To meet their goal of reducing new HIV infections by 2013, EU national governments should improve public awareness, especially among young people and migrants. More work is also needed to wipe out the stigma associated with the disease, which often prevents people from getting tested. At the same time, the commission continues to promote a "clean needles policy", EU health spokeswoman Nina Papadoulaki said. “We need to encourage people to take responsibility for themselves and their partners by talking about and practicing safe sex and going for HIV testing,” EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou said yesterday as the commission sealed the new strategy. “However, this needs to go hand in hand with the respect for the human rights and non-discrimination of people living with HIV and Aids,” she said. “We have treatment options today that can delay the outbreak of Aids for many years”.

The major ‘at risk’ populations in Europe, according to the Euro politcs website, are men having sex with men, which accounts for about 40% of all new infections. Migrants from areas with a high incidence of the virus are another at risk group as are injecting drug users, with a share of up to 70% of all new infections in countries neighbouring the EU.

By Hayley Jarvis for SOS Children