'Local HIV carriers rising, bucking world trends'
11/30/2012 03:35
Israel AIDS Task Force notes that 70% of Israelis have never been tested for HIV, which raises fear numbers not accurate.
![Taking blood for an HIV test [illustrative]](../HttpHandlers/ShowImage.ashx?ID=208720 "Taking blood for an HIV test [illustrative]")
Taking blood for an HIV test [illustrative] Photo: Yannis Behrakis / Reuters
Contrary to world trends, there is continual increase in HIV carriers, the
Israel AIDS Task Force reported before World AIDS Day, which is marked every
year on December 1.
However, the rate of new HIV carriers has been slowed
due to increased prevention in many countries, including in the most affected
countries in Africa, said task force chairman Yonatan Karni
said.
“Despite all efforts, it seems that in 2012 as before, the numbers
of new carriers continues to grow,” he added.
The worrisome statistics
showed that in the last nine years, the number of new cases has risen – even
though before that, there was a decline. In 2010, there were 430 new carriers
reported. Data from the Central Bureau of Statistics that were made public
showed there were 456 new cases – 303 men and 153 women – last
year.
Between 1981 – when the AIDS virus was first officially identified
– until the end of 2011, a total of 7,000 Israelis were diagnosed as HIV
carriers.
Today, there are at least 5,658 carriers and AIDS patients
living in Israel, with 178 of them children infected by their mothers through
breastfeeding because they had not been identified in time.
Although the
final 2012 figures have not been officially announced yet by the Health
Ministry, Karni said he expected they would show another rise.
Karni
noted that seven out of 10 Israelis have never been tested for HIV, which raises
the fear that the official numbers do not reflect the true situation.
“We
need significant investment by government decision makers to strengthen our
activities so we can continue to inform, prevent the spread of HIV and support
carriers,” Karni added.
The Health Ministry will on Friday officially
make public its new epidemiologial report on AIDS. It said 7,032 Israelis have
been diagnosed as HIV carriers or sick with full-blown AIDS since 1981. Of
these, 1,401 died or left the country, leaving 5,631 actual patients today. But
the ministry estimates that there are some 2,000 more who have not yet been
tested, as this is not mandatory.
There were 454 new cases diagnosed in
2011, the ministry said. These represent 58 new cases per million residents.