The Way to Prevent the HIV Pandemic Can Be Made with Awareness

Yeditepe University Hospitals Medical Microbiology Specialist and Yeditepe University Kozyatağı Hospital Chief Physician Prof. Dr. Aynur Eren Topkaya shared important information about increasing social awareness to fight AIDS due to "December 1 World AIDS Day".

On December 1, activities are organized as "World AIDS Day" in order to increase the awareness of society about AIDS in our country and all over the world and to contribute to the effective fight against AIDS. Yeditepe University Kozyatağı Hospital Chief Physician and Medical Microbiologist Prof. Dr. Aynur Eren Topkaya stated that every year a new theme is emphasized by the World Health Organization and the theme for 2022 is  "Equalize".

Underlining that social awareness should be increased in order to fight AIDS, Prof. Dr. Aynur Eren Topkaya gave important information on the subject:

According to World Health Organization data, nearly 40 million people are living with HIV by the end of 2021, and more than half of them are in African countries. New infections are concentrated especially between two age groups; the first is young age (15-25) and the other is older age (over 65). About 1.5 million people are infected with HIV each year, while about 500,000 of the current HIV (+) people die from diseases caused by HIV. HIV is a virus without an effective vaccine. For this reason, it is important to know the transmission routes and preventive measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

The first case in our country was diagnosed in 1985. Since then, about 30,000 people have been diagnosed with HIV. Indifferent cases are estimated to be much higher than this figure. The rate of detection of new cases continues to increase. In Turkey, HIV transmission occurs most frequently (50%) sexually. 4 out of 5 HIV cases are male and 1 out of 5 are female, and 1 out of 5 of all cases are foreign nationals.

According to the Global AIDS Strategy, it is aimed to end AIDS by the end of 2030. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fight against HIV has been disrupted in recent years. New cases and losses due to AIDS will increase due to inequalities in compliance with measures and access to treatment. Every year, a new theme is emphasized by the World Health Organization in this regard. This year's theme is “Equalize.” It is important to plan actions to address inequalities related to HIV/AIDS. In our country, young people are the majority among those newly diagnosed with HIV. The lack of information about how HIV is transmitted in society and the fact that HIV-positive people do not apply to health institutions for diagnosis due to stigmatization by society are the main reasons for the increase in the number of cases. In order to stop the spread of HIV, there is a need for cooperation on issues such as information, diagnosis, and treatment.