No major increase in HIV positive cases in Hungary in recent years

No major increase has been registered in the number of HIV infections in Hungary in recent years, unlike in several other countries of the region, a doctor of infectology at the St. István and St. László hospital said on Tuesday.

More than 90 percent of HIV positive people receive contemporary treatments in Hungary and the country has a good track record of fighting HIV and AIDS, János Szlávik said in a statement.

Around 2,000 people diagnosed as HIV positive live in Hungary and over 1,800 receive therapy. The number of new infections totalled 196 last year. In comparison, an estimated 220,000 HIV positive people live in Ukraine, 850,000 in Russia and around 30,000 in Poland.

Szlávik said, however, that it is necessary to improve people’s willingness to undergo testing because only around 30-50 percent of HIV positive persons are in the care system and the others are probably not even aware of their infection.