The EU and HIV Prevention

HIV is one of the world’s most deadly viruses. Or at least it was. Unfortunately it seems that our negligence to the disease has meant that HIV’s current mortality rates are back on the rise in western society. This is so much so, that government and officials are seeking change, improvement and development by expanding the time and effort being put into the prevention of HIV.  As a whole the EU have taken a very drastic approach to preventing HIV. When the first ever cases arose, policies were implemented such as stronger education and condoms, however it seems that this is nowhere near enough.

The Statistics And Current EU Policies On HIV Prevention

In 2012, the EU reported that more than 131,000 new instances of HIV cases were reported to be in and around Europe. The EU HIV/AIDS policy aims to focus  on prevention of the disease as well as the effective treatment and support for those who have contracted it. The EU have prepared a commision combating the number of new incidences of HIV and AIDS as well as a health programme and general surveillance. The EU currently has the support of the HIV/AIDS Think Tank and the HIV/AIDS Civil Society Forum to help strengthen EU resolve against the human immunodeficiency virus and manage progress.

Moving Forward

In the most recent developments around this issue, the EU has just given a CE Mark to a very innovative HIV self-test tool created by the leading diagnostics developer in the world, Australian based Atomo Diagnostics . This ingenuitive home testing device is the first of its kind and can effectively detect any presence of the HIV virus antibodies in humans and provide them with an accurate diagnosis. This means that  lifesaving treatment can be accessed sooner rather than later.

As it previously stood the only way to acquire an accurate HIV diagnosis included a visit to a hospital or clinic. The majority of users despise this as it’s often expensive in places where insurance does not cover it. And also the secrecy is not 100% secure. The Atomo Diagnostics invention of the very first home test kit mean that these worries are no longer an issue. And we get back to working on saving the lives of those diagnosed and normalising the discussion of HIV and AIDS. When we normalise the discussion of HIV in the same way we do for say, pregnancy and pregnancy testing, our children will be more open and educated in the future to be mindful of the real risks and dangers associated with unprotected sex and the passing of disease.