Latvia Leads the EU in New HIV Carriers: Who Needs to Get Tested Urgently to Avoid AIDS 0 171

HIV affects the entire body, including the digestive system, and often it is symptoms related to digestion that are the first to raise suspicion of the virus's presence.

Late diagnosis is not just a statistical problem; it has a direct cost in human lives and health:

– about 200 new cases of HIV are registered each year in Latvia;

– one third of patients learn their diagnosis at a late stage;

– Latvia is the leader in the EU in the number of new HIV cases;

– despite an overall decrease in the prevalence of the infection, Latvia's rate in 2022 was twice the average incidence in EU countries.

This means only one thing — too many people in Latvia do not know they are infected. Only 4.5% of the population regularly gets tested for HIV, and most believe the infection does not concern them. Last year, 45 people learned they had HIV when the disease was already at a late stage — AIDS.

HIV is not just a sexually transmitted infection. It is a systemic disease that destroys multiple organs and systems. Today, HIV is treatable — with early therapy, people live full lives, but this is only possible if the diagnosis is made in time.

Every resident of Latvia should get tested if there is at least one risk factor:

1. Unprotected sexual intercourse (without a condom) with a casual partner or a partner with an unknown HIV status.

2. Multiple sexual partners in the past year.

3. Previously diagnosed other sexually transmitted infections (syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, hepatitis B/C, HSV, HPV, etc.).

4. Injection drug use, especially sharing needles or syringes.

5. Receiving blood or its products outside the strict control systems of EU countries.

6. A partner with an HIV-positive status, even if they are undergoing antiretroviral therapy.

7. Men who have sex with men.

8. Sexual contacts for money or other benefits.

9. Unprotected sex while traveling, especially in countries with high HIV prevalence.

10. Injections or other medical procedures outside safe medical facilities (e.g., tattoos, piercings, aesthetic procedures without sterilization control).

11. Pregnancy without an HIV test (as stipulated by Latvian guidelines).

12. Unexplained fever, swollen lymph nodes, weight loss, persistent diarrhea, or frequent infections.

13. Suspicions that a partner may have had other sexual contacts.