In 2023, nearly 5,500 new people will be diagnosed with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in France. An estimate from Public Health France (SPF), after correcting the raw number of seropositivity discovered (3,877 cases), to take into account the under-reporting of cases.
“For several years, the number of new HIV infections has not decreased in France, although we have all the tools to prevent transmission,” lamented Professor Yazdan Yazdanpanah, director of the National Research Agency for AIDS Emerging Infectious Diseases (ANRS-MIE), during a press conference on November 21.
That same day, eleven new recommendations on HIV care were presented at the annual congress of the French Society for the Fight against AIDS, in Biarritz (Pyrénées-Atlantiques). The three co-authors, the ANRS-MIE, the High Health Authority (HAS) and the National AIDS Council (CNS), examined in particular several key points: the social determinants of infection; preventive treatments; diagnosis and follow-up of people living with HIV; HIV and pregnancy; adaptation of antiretroviral treatments…
43% of infections are discovered in a late phase
Since 2012, the number of HIV positive discoveries has decreased by 10%. But if we except the year 2020, marked by a sharp drop linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, this figure has stagnated since 2018 and has even recovered since 2020.” This increase especially affects people born abroad. experts point out, particularly women infected through heterosexual relationships and men who have sex with men (MSM).
Another cause for concern is that in 2023, 43% of HIV infections were detected in a late phase (between 200 and 350 CD4 cells per cubic millimeter of blood), of which 27% were detected in an advanced phase ( stage of AIDS), with less than 200 CD4 cells. per cubic millimeter of blood. Between contamination and diagnosis, the average time was 1.9 years for all people who discovered their HIV status and three years for foreign-born heterosexual men. This delay is a loss of individual opportunities. It also increases the risk of viral transmission, with an undiagnosed and untreated person being able to contaminate their partner. Instead, “If the virus is undetectable in the blood, it is not transmissible, points out Yazdan Yazdanpanah. Therefore, screening remains the main prevention tool. »
You have 56.41% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
