About EuroHIV

EuroHIV has co-ordinated the surveillance of HIV/AIDS in the WHO European Region (53 countries) since 1984. Its mission is to understand, improve and share European HIV/AIDS surveillance data in order to better inform disease prevention, control and care. Its objectives include making international comparisons, assessing trends, characterising affected populations and predicting disease burden and evaluating surveillance methods.

Ensuring a European-wide coverage of HIV/AIDS surveillance is crucial to provide a broad epidemiological picture, particularly at a time when severe epidemics are occurring in eastern Europe at the border of the European Union.^1,2

Defining common, standardised and flexible surveillance strategies entails close consensual collaboration with national coordinators. For example, in 1997 a consensus decision was reached to co-ordinate HIV reporting at European level³ to supplement AIDS case reporting.

Pooling and comparing data between countries allow earlier detection and confirmation of trends. For example, this has highlighted the recent increase in the number of new diagnoses of HIV infections both in persons infected by heterosexual transmission, in particular in those originating from sub-Saharan Africa and in homo/bisexual men, indicating that these trends are not isolated phenomena but are occurring widely across western Europe.^1,4

Supporting national efforts to improve surveillance represents a community added-value. For example, the decision to implement HIV reporting at European level has provided a valuable incentive in countries facing difficulties in implementing national systems.⁵

Making data freely and widely available is a key objective. EuroHIV publishes free half-yearly reports. As a designated collaborating centre, EuroHIV supplies data to WHO and to UNAIDS; EuroHIV data are also supplied to the newly created European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

References

¹ Hamers FF, Downs AM. The changing face of the HIV epidemic in western Europe: What are the implications for public health policies? Lancet 2004;364: 83-94.
² Hamers FF, Downs AM. HIV in central and eastern Europe. Lancet 2003;361:1035–44. Published online Feb 18, 2003.
³ Hamers FF, for the group of experts and national coordinators of HIV/AIDS surveillance from the countries of WHO European Region. Recommendations for HIV surveillance in Europe. Eurosurveillance 1998; 3: 51.
⁴ EuroHIV, HIV/AIDS Surveillance in Europe. End-year report 2003. Saint-Maurice: Institut de veille sanitaire, 2004. No. 70.
⁵ Hamers FF, Infuso A, Alix J, Downs AM. Current situation and regional perspective of HIV/AIDS surveillance in Europe. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr Hum Retrovirol 2003;32 Suppl:S39-48.