Last year, 5.8 million tests were carried out in analysis laboratories, an increase of 11%, reveals the latest weekly epidemiological bulletin from Public Health France. At the same time, the number of people discovering their HIV status is constantly falling.
These are encouraging, but insufficient data.
In its latest Weekly Epidemiological Bulletin (BEH), Public Health France highlights the increase in the number of HIV screening tests performed in metropolitan France. Last year, 5.8 million tests were carried out in the laboratory, an increase of 11% compared to 2013.
At the same time, the seropositivity rate is tending to decrease: 6,200 cases were discovered last year, a drop of 7% compared to 2017.
HIV testing still insufficient
Promising results, which Public Health France qualifies. “The decrease in the number of discoveries of seropositivity, coupled with an increase in screening activity, may reflect a decrease in the number of undiagnosed infected people and/or a decrease in incidence (new cases, note) for several years. ”, note the authors of the report.
However, more than half of HIV-positive people had never been tested before (nearly a third of homosexuals/MSM and half of heterosexuals). A quarter of the discoveries of seropositivity last year were early, while 29% were at an advanced stage of infection. This encourages the authors to insist on the importance of making further progress in screening in metropolitan France.
Indeed, according to data collected by Santé Publique France from respondents, nine out of ten believe that everyone should have a screening test at least once in their life. But, in fact, more than half of men and nearly a third of women have never taken a test. Although this absence of screening during life remains more frequent among 55-75 year olds (63% with no difference between men and women), it nevertheless concerns 52% of men and 38% of women among 18-24 year olds.
Success of combination prevention
The Public Health France report also points to the success of the combined approach “including ‘Test and Treat’ and PrEP – preventive treatment for HIV before sexual intercourse –” in reducing new HIV diagnoses in France. This decline has also been observed in other European countries for several years: Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom.
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