Prague Post, 10 August 2014

New statistics about HIV and AIDS in the Czech Republic reveal that, although still relatively rare, infections have spiked again in recent years

Prague, Aug. 10 (ČTK) — Doctors registered 129 new patients with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the Czech Republic in the first six months of the year, which was the highest number since 1985, when tracking of the infection started, the national reference laboratory for HIV/AIDS has told the Czech News Agency.

The number of patients with AIDS increased tenfold in the same period, the lab said.

Four children were born to HIV-positive mothers, and seven patients died.

In all, the laboratory has recorded 2,251 HIV-infected patients. AIDS developed among 410 of them, and 209 died as a result of the disease.

"The trend of a significant growth in the newly found cases of HIV continues. Over the past 12 months, 267 new cases were recorded," the lab experts said.

In June alone, there were 18 new HIV-infected and two patients with AIDS, more than one-half of them in Prague.

The number of people with HIV has been growing considerably since 2003. Last year, the record number was reached, but this year is likely to be even worse.

So far, almost 22.9 million HIV tests have been carried out. Pregnant women account for 3.3 million of them. Some 15.7 million tests were performed on blood and organ donors.

Roughly 335,400 people had the test at their own request.

In the Czech Republic, homosexuals and bisexuals make up roughly three-fifths of newly infected patients.

Written by Czech News Agency

Source: Prague Post