Trends in the European HIV/AIDS epidemic: a perspective from Italy

Abstract

The HIV/AIDS epidemic represents one of the major public-health challenges in present days. Despite the relevant improvement in the prognosis of HIV disease following the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), numerous new challenges are progressively emerging as patient characteristics evolve. In this article, we give an insight into more actual topics in the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Italy and Europe, including recent epidemiological trends, emerging drug resistance and non-B-subtype circulation, the lights and shadows of HAART and the potential of HARRT to reduce sexual transmission of HIV.

Incidence of non-B subtypes of HIV-1 in Galicia, Spain: high frequency and diversity of HIV-1 among men who have sex with men

“…Subtype B of HIV-1 is the most prevalent in Western Europe, including Spain, however, an increase in the circulation of non-B subtypes has been observed in recent years [1,2]. Another trend is the increase in HIV transmission among MSM, a phenomenon recently described in eight countries in North America, Western Europe and Australia [3].…”