By Jean Christou
FIFTY ONE new HIV positive cases were diagnosed in Cyprus between January and October 2014, up five cases over the same period last year.
From the 51 new cases 43 were permanent residents. Seven were people who live abroad and one resident of the north of the island.
Of the 43 permanent residents 32 were Greek Cypriot – 30 men and two women – and 11 foreigners, all male.
The figures were presented on Monday to mark International AIDS Day.
According to the numbers, from the beginning of 1986 to October this year, a total of 847 HIV cases have been diagnosed in Cyprus.
Of this figure 464 were people of Cypriot origin, including four Turkish Cypriots. The remaining 383 were foreign residents and non residents diagnosed on the island.
Some 553 of the total 847 are permanent residents in the south of the island while 288 are resident abroad, three in the north and one unknown, implying an asylum seeker.
Sexual contact was the means of transmission in 93.4 per cent of all cases to date – 55.4 per cent through heterosexual relations and 38 per cent through homosexual relations. In three per cent of cases the cause of transmission could not be determined while in 1.2 per cent, the disease was contracted through a blood transfusion and 1.1 per cent through the use of illicit drugs.
Of the total 847 cases, 596 were men and 251 were women. Some 66 per cent of all cases were in the 20-29 age group, 31 per cent in the 40-65 age group and 4 per cent were cases involving young people under the age of 19.
In his speech, which was read by Permanent Secretary Christina Yiannakis, Health Minister Philippos Patsalis said being diagnosed with HIV no longer meant certain death from AIDS, especially in developed countries.
“AIDS is still an open wound for humanity,” he said. “It is a wound that tests the health, the cohesion of societies and the respect for human rights.”
Patsalis said that at a European level from 2004 until today, the number of cases of infection with HIV had not decreased but had increased by 33 per cent.
“Cyprus has low rates of infection with HIV, estimated at less than 0.1 per cent of the general population,” he added. But he did say there appeared to be more cases emerging among the homosexual population than before.
Patsalis said Cyprus had spent €2m in 2012 and €2.6m in 2013 to battle AIDS and treat HIV.
He said the Grigorios clinic at Larnaca General Hospital was doing an excellent job for patients, offering not only free clinical care but also psychological support and counselling.
“There is an urgent requirement in any modern and conscious society for continuous training and for policies aimed at the prevention, care and support of patients with AIDS,” Patsalis said. “It is also the responsibility of all to help eliminate any social stigmatisation so that HIV-positive people have the same rights as their fellow citizens.”
The head of the health ministry’s AIDS Management Programme Dr Yannis Demetriades echoed the minister’s comment about the necessity of putting an end to the prejudice that exists against HIV-positive people in Cyprus. “They experience violations of their human rights and have no voice,” he said.
