More HIV infections through reckless sex

Experts consider annual increase in new infections with concern
Thanks to modern medicines, HIV can usually be controlled well, so that in many cases the quality of life and the life expectancy due to infection are hardly affected. But with all the positive aspects, experts also consider this development critically. Because of the supposed "collateral" it quickly leads to reckless behavior - and consequently to more and more new cases.
First cases of AIDS more than 30 years ago
In the early 1980s, the first cases of a new, fatal disease were described, which was characterized by a massive weakening of the body's defense system. Those affected have been defenseless against pathogens such as bacteria or viruses, which can usually be easily warded off by a healthy immune system. Physicians called the disease "Aquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome" (abbreviated: AIDS) and identified a short time later, the human immunodeficiency virus (HI virus) as the causative agent of the disease.
Increase in HIV infections. Image: gamjai - fotolia
At first, AIDS was considered a disease of the homosexuals and in the first few years it was deprecated as a "gay plague". But as the HI virus is transmitted through blood and semen, it quickly became clear that contagion can affect anyone. However, the social debate on the topic has long been marked by prejudices and those affected were confronted with discrimination, exclusion and stigmatization. Even today, HIV or AIDS is a taboo in many areas, most recently the example of the actor Charlie Sheen showed how hard it is for those affected to publicly acknowledge their illness. The terms quickly cause anxiety and anxiety in many people, and in many cases there is uncertainty and ignorance about possible routes of infection.

New drugs prevent the proliferation of the virus
It has changed a lot since the 1980s. The hi-virus has been extensively researched and, thanks to medical progress, the quality of life of those affected has been significantly improved. Today, new drugs help prevent the virus from multiplying in the body, delaying the onset of AIDS and alleviating symptoms. The disease is usually not recognizable to outsiders, so that people with HIV can often live an almost "normal" life without any major restrictions.

Every year about 800 AIDS diagnoses
However, more than 30 years after their discovery, HIV infection is still potentially life-threatening. Because the HV infection goes into the chronic disease AIDS, this is indeed treatable - but still not curable. Patients often suffer from various serious infectious diseases such as tuberculosis or recurrent pneumonia due to the weakening immune system, and the risk of malignant diseases such as malignancy increases. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or cervical cancer. Accordingly, AIDS is still regarded today as a deadly disease, which is diagnosed according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in this country about 800 times each year.

World Aids Day is taking place for the 28th time
So it is all the more important to bring the immunodeficiency disease repeatedly into the public eye and to draw attention to the risk of HIV infection. This is exactly where today's "World AIDS Day" comes in, this year for the 28th time. According to data from the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA), around 35 million people worldwide live with HIV, many of whom are far from having access to essential medicines and many continue to experience exclusion and stigmatization. A problem with which people affected in this country are still confronted.

"More than 80,000 people in Germany live with HIV / AIDS. Thanks to modern medicines, most of them now have an almost normal life expectancy. They can work in any profession and spend their free time, as others do. So today, as a rule, you can live well with HIV - but not with discrimination, which unfortunately still occurs, "said the head of the BZgA. Heidrun Thaiss on the occasion of the World AIDS Day.

Twice as many new diagnoses
In addition, it seems that in many Western countries more and more negligent with the disease handled. Although most people are afraid of becoming infected with HIV, the new treatment options have caused the disease to be frightening - which often means that insufficient protection is provided. As a result, more and more new cases occur. According to a recent report by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), a total of 142,197 new diagnoses were reported in the 2014 European Region, the highest number of new HIV cases since reporting began in the 1980s. Although Germany has the lowest infection rate in Europe with only 3,500 positive cases in 2014, the figure is twice as high as it was at the turn of the millennium.

This shows how important it is to protect yourself from infection. The greatest risk of infection exists in unprotected sex, because here the virus can get into the body of the other person, especially via blood and semen, but also via vaginal fluid. "Condoms are the easiest way to protect yourself from HIV, which everyone can use themselves," says Manuel Izdebski, director of the German AIDS Aid. (No)