HIV: The number of new diagnoses is not decreasing in France

This is the paradox of the fight against HIV. Never before has the arsenal of prevention tools been so rich and varied. However, the number of new diagnoses of human immunodeficiency virus infection in France is not decreasing, notes the French Public Health Service (SPF) in a document published on Tuesday, November 29, to mark World AIDS Day. 1 Thursday.^Eh December.

From 2012 to 2019, HIV testing activity increased steadily from 5.3 million tests per year to 6.1 million. It then fell from 2019 to 2020 (–13%), due to the Covid-19 epidemic. This reduction “Not fully recorded in 2021 (+8%), hence a shortage of screening use”SPF reports.

As for the number of new diagnoses, it fell sharply in 2019-2020 (–22%). Fall “Regarding the reduction in screening activity, but probably also the reduction in exposure to HIV associated with social distancing measures and reduced migration flows, particularly from sub-Saharan Africa”SPF analysis.

In 2021, approximately 5,000 people discovered their HIV seropositivity, a stable number compared to 2020. Stability is observed regardless of mode of contamination and place of birth: heterosexuals born abroad or in France, men having sex with men born abroad or in France. , injecting drug users, trans people.

Free screening without a prescription

Also in 2021, 24% of diagnoses were made in the early stages of infection, “Proportion that decreases”, notes Florence Lott, from the SPF Department of Infectious Diseases; 47% were in the intermediate stage, a proportion that is increasing; and 29% in advanced stage (AIDS or CD4 lymphocyte count below 200 mm³), “A fairly stable proportion in recent years”. The data for 2022 are not yet known.

“Improved screening is essential to reduce late diagnosis and contamination”, Monitors SPF. ” Early detection makes it possible to take advantage of antiretroviral treatment, reduce the viral load and, therefore, no longer transmit HIV., Emphasizes Florence Lott.

However, the new device allows from 1 year^Eh In January, all laboratories in France will offer HIV testing for free, without prepayment and without a prescription. “This over-the-counter screening is a very good measure, especially for the youngest and oldest age groups who are under-screened.”– says Professor Gilles Pialou, head of the Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases at Tenon Hospital in Paris.