A worrying trend in HIV transmission is being observed: most cases are reported in Eastern Europe

Friday, Dec 5, 2025

Delfi

Europe’s HIV situation is tense, especially in the East, with late diagnosis being a major concern.

🔗 Read the article on delfi.lt

[This is an automatically generated summary, for reference only]

The situation regarding HIV is most tense in Eastern Europe. Globally, there are about 40.8 million people living with HIV, with 1.3 million new cases and 630,000 deaths from AIDS-related illnesses in 2024, according to El Confidencial. The latest ECDC report shows 105,922 new HIV cases in the WHO European region in 2024; while the total number is lower than in 2023, the trend is uneven as 11 countries saw increases. The situation is particularly severe in Eastern Europe, where 27.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants are recorded, about five times higher than in Western and Central Europe or EU countries. The war in Ukraine is cited as a factor worsening the situation in Europe by limiting diagnostic capabilities and consistent treatment access, though policy shifts reducing focus on prevention are also a concern. Globally, the 95-95-95 UNAIDS targets are not yet met, with Europe at 93-95-94 and Lithuania at 73-71-95, meaning nearly a third of people in Lithuania are unaware they are infected. In Lithuania in 2024, 196 new HIV infections were registered, primarily through sexual contact, with the highest incidence in Vilnius. The ECDC emphasizes that HIV is often diagnosed too late in European countries, leading to increased AIDS and transmission risks, and urges increased testing accessibility. Consistent treatment can slow disease progression and reduce transmission risk. HIV spreads through sexual contact, blood, or from mother to child.

🔗 Read the original article

Previous page There's been a surge in hair transplant procedures across Europe. However, promotional offers with significant discounts often indicate questionable quality
Next page The length of time a refugee has been in the country can also influence the processing of their case; Ukrainian refugees have been here for two months, while Afghan refugees have been here for twenty years

© 2026 Pulse - Europe beyond the beat


PULSE is an initiative for cross-border collaborative journalism in Europe co-funded by the European Commission under Grant Agreement n. PO 4500158093.

PULSE is an initiative coordinated by OBCT that has been promoting intensive journalistic cross-border collaborations in Europe since 2024. Its main aim is to help strengthen the European public sphere by reporting on and telling stories from new and diverse perspectives.

At the heart of PULSE are 10 leading national news outlets (Delfi – Lithuania, Deník Referendum – Czechia, Der Standard – Austria, EfSyn – Greece, El Confidencial – Spain, Gazeta Wyborcza – Poland, HotNews – Romania, HVG – Hungary, Il Sole 24 Ore – Italy, Mediapool – Bulgaria) and three transnational organisations, including OBCT , n-ost and Voxeurop .

Additional outlets and journalists are involved as associate partners, including EUobserver , Føljeton (Denmark), H-Alter (Croatia), Levila (Estonia), Rubryka (Ukraine), and The Journal Investigates (Ireland).

PULSE is driven by a sort of virtual transnational newsroom made up of journalists from all the publications involved. It collaboratively produces new journalistic content on European issues on a daily basis, coming in many different languages. The editorial output amounts to over a thousand publications per year, mostly in article form.

PULSE also runs 4 thematic networks open to any European journalist interested in crucial issues such as EU enlargement, relations between the EU and other global powers, the EU’s green transition, or media and the information society. These networks function as online communities and periodically publish calls for pitches.