[The spread of HIV/AIDS in Ukraine]

Abstract

Background: In the end-year report 2004 of the European Centre for the Epidemiological Monitoring of AIDS (EuroHIV), the number of newly diagnosed HIV infections in Ukraine ranks second in the WHO European Region after the Russian Federation.

Methods: An analysis of the HIV/AIDS reports from the official epidemiological register of the Ukrainian Centre for AIDS Prevention between 1987 and 2005 was undertaken. In addition, reports from the seroepidemiological monitoring were utilised.

Results: According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, the cumulative number of reported HIV infections by the end of 2005 amounts to more than 88,900 cases with 13,786 new reports in 2005. The number of newly-registered AIDS cases rose from 45 in 1995 to 4220 in 2005. However, because of many unreported HIV diagnoses, the actual numbers are presumed to exceed the official reports considerably. Most of the infections are associated with injection drug abuse. The second most important route of transmission is sexual contact, also due to an increase in commercial sex. Vertical transmissions from infected mothers to their children rank third.

Conclusion: HIV was not a significant problem in the Ukraine before 1995. Since 1995 there has been a considerable increase in the number of newly registered HIV cases. At the beginning of the epidemic, HIV was mainly transmitted through sexual contacts in the Ukraine. Since 1995 infected drug users have been the main source of infection in the spread of the epidemic. Unless effective preventive measures are taken, and unless there is more investment in development projects, the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Ukraine could also affect the health system in neighbouring European countries.