Number of New AIDS Cases in European Union Declined by 11% in 2001
The number of new AIDS cases in the European Union declined by 11% in 2001, according to figures released on Tuesday by Eurostat, the E.U.'s official statistics agency, Reuters reports. The 15-nation bloc recorded 8,210 new AIDS cases in 2001 compared to 9,197 in 2000, bringing the European Union's total number of AIDS cases since 1981 to 235,000. Spain recorded the highest number of new cases with 2,297, followed by Italy with 1,681. Spain has recorded the highest total number of AIDS cases since 1981 with 63,000. Portugal, which recorded 1,044 new cases in 2001, is the only country in which the number of new AIDS cases has not declined. Last year, Portugal had the highest AIDS incidence rate at 105.8 cases per million inhabitants, nearly five times the E.U. average of 21.8 cases per million inhabitants (Reuters, 9/10). According to Eurostat, HIV transmission from homosexual or bisexual contact has declined "significantly," while transmission via heterosexual contact has risen "sharply" (Xinhua News Agency, 9/10).
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