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Preliminary data show that in January-October 2021, more than 182,811 people were tested for HIV in Bulgaria
Ninety-nine per cent of HIV/AIDS patients in Bulgaria receive treatment, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday, which is marked as World AIDS Day. Since 1986 to November 19, 2021, a total of 3,702 persons infected with HIV have been registered in Bulgaria, including 219 news cases this year.
Preliminary data show that in January-October 2021, more than 182,811 people were tested for HIV in Bulgaria.
A trend has persisted for several years now in which the number of newly registered HIV-positive men is higher than women. The men vs. women ratio continued to grow in 2021 as well and now stands at 6.1 to 1.
By age, HIV is most prevalent in the bracket 30-39 years, 36 per cent, followed by 20-29, 24 per cent, 40-49, 22 per cent. Nearly 60 per cent of the new cases are in the 30-50 years age break.
By region, newly registered HIV infections occur mostly in the city of Sofia, followed by the regions of Varna, Plovdiv, Bourgas, Pazardjik, Vratsa, Rousse and Stara Zagora. In the remaining regions, the figure is below 3 per cent.
Bulgaria remains a country with a low HIV prevalence. The frequency of newly-registered HIV infections per 100,000 of population in 2020 was 2.9, while the average figure in Europe was 3.3.
The coronavirus pandemic is exacerbating the inequalities and difficulties in the provision of healthcare services, which is a challenge for many people living with HIV, the Health Ministry says.
