Current situation and regional perspective on HIV/AIDS surveillance in Europe

AIDS reporting has been the principal means of monitoring the HIV/AIDS situation in Europe since 1989. HIV reporting was set up at the European level in 1999, although it has existed in most European countries since the 1980s. Anonymous individual data on AIDS and, if available, new HIV diagnoses, and data on HIV prevalence in various populations are reported from the 51 countries of the WHO European Region to EuroHIV. Aggregate data on HIV prevalence in various populations. Data are presented after grouping the 51 countries into three geographic areas: the West, Center, and East. At end of 2000, in the West, AIDS incidence continued to decline except among those infected heterosexually; numbers of newly diagnosed HIV infections are relatively stable, but rising among heterosexually infected persons, many of whom originate from countries with generalized HIV epidemics. In the East, numbers of newly diagnosed HIV cases (mostly injection drug users) continue to rise steeply, particularly in the Russian Federation, Latvia, and Estonia. In the Center, levels of HIV and AIDS remain low. HIV reporting is becoming a central element of HIV/AIDS surveillance in Europe. Heterogeneity between countries in health care systems, HIV testing patterns and surveillance systems remain challenging for data standardization at the European level. Efforts should be made to use surveillance data for evaluating the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS prevention interventions.