Local
High rate of HIV cases diagnosed in Malta
By MaltaMedia News
Nov 25, 2007 - 6:26:15 PM

The rate of HIV cases diagnosed in Malta in 2006 is one of the highest in the European Union. Only eight other countries have worse rates according to a report published in The Daily Mail.

There were 29 cases diagnosed in Malta in 2006 which would give a rate of 71.9 cases per million inhabitants when compared to other countries. The EU average is 67 cases per million.

Estonia and Portugal have the worst rates. Estonia diagnosed 504 cases per million inhabitants last year, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control announced yesterday in the Estonian capital, Tallin. Portugal recorded 205 cases per million, while the lowest rate was recorded in Slovakia.

The 27 HIV/Aids cases diagnosed there last year translates into only five cases per million inhabitants. HIV/Aids cases in the wider Europe – 53 countries in the World Health Organisation's "European region" – have doubled in six years, the figures show.

There were 8,925 cases diagnosed in the UK in 2006, almost 149 cases per million inhabitants. Ireland recorded 337 cases, 80 cases per million. In Britain, the rate of infections has tripled in ten years, largely because gay men are ignoring safe sex messages, says the Health Protection Agency in the UK.

HIV/Aids cases in Europe: Estonia - 504.2 per million (668 cases) Portugal - 205 (2,162) UK - 148.8 (8,925) Latvia - 130.3 (299) Luxembourg - 118.9 (56) Belgium - 95.3 (995) France - 91.9 (5,750) Ireland - 80 (337) Malta - 71.9 (29) Netherlands - 65.4 (1,070) Austria - 53 (435) Greece - 51.1 (569) Denmark - 45 (245) Sweden - 41.6 (377) Cyprus - 40.3 (34) Finland - 37.1 (195) Germany - 32.9 (2,718) Lithuania - 29.3 (100) Poland - 19.5 (750) Slovenia - 17.3 (34) Bulgaria - 11.9 (995) Romania - 8.3 (180) Czech Rep - 9.1 (34) Hungary - 8 (81) Slovakia - 5 (27)