The HIV virus that causes AIDS is a real threat in Poland, there is no education about the possibility of infection, and tests for the presence of the virus are performed too rarely – experts pointed out during the XNUMXth Congress of Health Challenges in Katowice.
- Participants of the session “Was the HIV epidemic under control?” they agreed that the situation in Poland was bad
- Grounds? A large group of people do not know about their infection. In addition, there is a lack of social awareness, knowledge and initiative of doctors in this area, as well as access to research
- On the other hand, they had no objection to the treatment of people with already diagnosed HIV infection in Poland.
Prof. Magdalena Rosińska from the National Institute of Public Health – National Institute of Hygiene informed that from the beginning of registration in Poland, 24 thousand. infections. «Especially at the beginning of the epidemic, many people died, and many died from other causes. We estimate that 19-20 thousand people live in Poland. infected people, of which 75 percent. with recognition. This shows that there are about 5 people living in Poland. people in whom infection has not yet been detected »she said.
«Very often diagnosis is delayed compared to infection. We estimate the average time from infection to diagnosis at three years. So I do not think that the HIV epidemic in Poland is under control ”- she added. Prof. Rosińska emphasized that this is illustrated, for example, by the growing number of new diagnoses. While in the mid-600s there were about 2017 new diagnoses per year, in 1400 there were as many as 2018 diagnoses. XNUMX data are not yet known. «The dynamics of the recognition is therefore unfavorable. The number of new infections is not decreasing »- noted the expert.
Also, a specialist in infectious diseases, Bartosz Szetela from the Wrocław Health Center, did not agree with the statement that the HIV epidemic in Poland is under control. «Let’s look at the problem of high incidence among men who have sexual relations with men. There is a huge problem here, where HIV is spreading rapidly, especially in such high-risk groups. Within months to a year, one infected person transmits the infection to another person. Unfortunately, the necessity of frequent testing has not been realized yet, despite the fact that for several years we have been talking about testing ourselves every three months for people undertaking risky behaviors. Still, the majority of people who come to us diagnosed with HIV say: the last time I tested myself was a year ago, 2 years ago, 3 years ago. Of course, some are tested adequately, but a large percentage – especially from outside large cities – are tested too rarely »- said the doctor.
The second problem indicated by Szetel is a very late diagnosis in people infected through heterosexual contacts. «They are a group that does not recognize themselves that they may be HIV-positive, that there was some potential risk. Doctors also do not recognize the need to talk to these people. Meanwhile, the guidelines clearly state that each person over the age of 15 should be discussed with regard to the individual risk and proposed a test »- he recalled.
Grażyna Cholewińska-Szymańska from the Provincial Infectious Hospital in Warsaw confirmed that late diagnosis is a problem. «Half of our patients who come to treatment for the first time are already well advanced. So they walked around Poland, infected their partners and did not do tests »- she said.
Magdalena Ankiersztejn-Bartczak, the president of the Social Education Foundation, decided that the prevention system in Poland was not working. «There is no prevention in Poland at all. This is a huge problem and you have to start talking very loudly about it. For several years, the government side has not added a single zloty to conduct preventive measures. In the last few years, 95 percent of the budget of the minister of health. goes to treatment and this is absolutely the right destination, because this treatment must be provided for all patients who need it, but only 5 percent. is spent on prophylaxis, of which 90 percent. for testing, ”she said.
According to the CEO, the HIV testing point system is, however, ineffective. «The ministry gives PLN 1,5 million for 30 points of anonymous and free testing. In Warsaw, where there are five points, because we have local government support, we admit a huge number of patients. They don’t wait and aren’t sent back. Wrocław also has support and these points in the province. There are several Dolnośląskie voivodships, but Krakow, for example, sends patients regularly »- she said.
As reported by Magdalena Ankiersztejn-Bartczak, the percentage of people who have ever taken an HIV test in Poland is very low. “This is 9 percent, while in Western countries it is 80-90 percent. of the tested population, and when we manage to convince a person to do this study, he bounces off the wall »- she concluded.