Eastern Europe facing major AIDS epidemic

Authors of a review in this week's issue of THE LANCET predict that social problems in former eastern-block countries resulting in large numbers of injecting-drug users and a rise in sexually transmitted diseases will soon cause a major HIV/AIDS epidemic in eastern Europe.

Françoise Hamers and Angela Downs describe recent trends in the HIV epidemic and the differences between eastern and central Europe, using surveillance data, and published and unpublished reports. During the past 5 years, they report, most countries of the former Soviet Union have been severely affected by HIV epidemics that continue to spread as a result of injecting drug use. With an estimated 1 million individuals already infected-mostly injecting drug users-and high rates of syphilis, the region may soon also face a large-scale epidemic of sexually-transmitted HIV infection.

Françoise Hamers comments: "In view of the current levels of HIV prevalence, eastern Europe will soon be confronted with a major AIDS epidemic. By contrast, rates of HIV in central Europe remain low at present, but behaviours that promote HIV transmission are present in all countries. Improved measures to prevent further HIV spread are urgently needed."

Contact: Dr Françoise F Hamers, EuroHIV, Institut de Veille Sanitaire, 2 rue du Val d'Osne, 94415 Saint-Maurice, Cedex, France ;
T) 33-141-796-815 ;
F) 33-141-796-802 ;
E) f.hamers@invs.sante.fr

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