HIV infections no longer falling; On the rise among young men
The number of HIV diagnoses in the Netherlands is no longer falling and infections are on the rise among young men, according to research by the HIV Monitoring Foundation. The share of diagnoses among young men who have sex with men increased in particular, NOS reports.
Between 2008 and 2020, the number of new HIV diagnoses fell from around 1,200 to 434 per year. After that, the decline stagnated. Last year, 424 people found out that they were HIV positive. According to the foundation, that number could still rise due to a backlog in administration. 40 of the new diagnoses last year were boys and men between the ages of 15 and 24.
The proportion of HIV diagnoses among young men who have sex with other men increased significantly. In 2002, 15 percent of diagnoses were men between the ages of 15 and 30 who have sex with men. Last year, it was 29 percent.
The Aidsfonds called the increase in diagnoses among young men alarming. “This upward trend emphasizes the need to strengthen existing prevention strategies and implement new measures,” the fund said. It attributes the increase in this group to the decrease in condom use, and the fact that young men tend to be more sexually active than older men.
“What we see is that there has actually been insufficient attention to prevention in the Netherlands for a long time. We see that condom campaigns stopped in 2012. And we also see that all groups that would benefit from the HIV prevention pill PrEP do not yet have sufficient access to it. We are concerned about that,” said Aidsfonds director Mark Vermeulen.
The Aidsfonds added that the Netherlands is still in a strong position to reduce the number of HIV infections to zero. The resources are available, but they must be used effectively, said the fund.
