One in five of the 2.5 million people living with HIV in the European Region is estimated to be undiagnosed
Those who remain undiagnosed until a late stage of infection are at risk of serious illness and death
Over half of the people living with HIV across the European Region are diagnosed at a late stage of infection
While undiagnosed, they are much more likely to transmit the infection than those who are diagnosed and on effective treatment
Guidelines now recommend that treatment should be initiated in all people diagnosed with HIV, however early their infection
With early diagnosis and prompt access to treatment, a person diagnosed with HIV can now expect to live almost as long as someone who does not have HIV
Without treatment, people with HIV experience a range of opportunistic infections, malignancies, and other conditions during the course of their infection – more than 90% experience one or more skin conditions 1
By testing people who present with conditions which may indicate HIV infection (HIV indicator conditions) dermatovenereologists can play a vital role in diagnosing previously undiagnosed HIV infection, thus enabling earlier access to treatment and reducing HIV-related mortality and morbidity
Dermatovenereologists can save lives by testing for HIV.
