665 people were diagnosed with HIV in Belgium in 2023 according to figures from health institute Sciensano. The figures mean Belgium has returned to pre-corona pandemic levels, after a sharp drop in 2020, when it comes to the diagnosis of HIV, the virus that can cause AIDS.
Last year’s figures reveal a 13 per cent increase compared to 2022. The number of diagnoses has now increased for the 3rd year in a row.
The year-on-year rise can be linked to the pandemic that caused a sharp drop in the number of diagnoses in 2020, after which the figures again gradually rose. As a result of this catching-up process, the number of diagnoses in 2023 again reached pre-pandemic levels. 674 people were diagnosed in 2019 before the arrival of coronavirus and the restrictions.
Still, health institute Sciensano, is calling the rise ‘worrying’. ‘HIV remains an incurable condition that requires lifelong medication,’ says scientist Jessika Deblonde.
In addition to the recent corona pandemic, Deblonde sees other explanations for the rise. ‘We notice that efforts at prevention still face challenges. For example, people are not always aware that they are at risk of HIV. Condom use has also fallen. Moreover, Prep is not reaching enough people. That is a drug in the form of a tablet that can be taken to avoid a possible infection.’
In 2023, 92 people were also diagnosed with AIDS. Strikingly, this is the highest number since 2015. ‘The reporting of AIDS diagnoses has improved in recent years. Today, most new diagnoses happen at the same time that HIV is diagnosed. This means that HIV diagnosis is happening very late in the day.’