EATN: European AIDS Treatment News

HAVE YOU HEARD OF THE TERM TRIPLE THERAPY?

100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

E
Yes
No

a

e a a
G3"

4 4

fig. 6

level out in Europe in 1994-95. The centre reported a
decrease of AIDS by 10% in 1996, which has been
attributed to new drug combinations delaying the onset
of AIDS, among other possible reasons.
However, it warned that AIDS was still on the increase
in parts of central and Eastern Europe such as Bulgaria,
Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and
Yugoslavia. It also highlighted more cases among women.
Needle sharing was singled out for contributing the
largest proportion of newly diagnosed cases to Europe's
overall AIDS tally (43 per cent of all new adult/adolescent
instances of AIDS were attributed to injecting with shared
needles).
In addition to the number of reported cases of AIDS,
many more thousands of European men and women are
HIV positive. In response, the UK government for
example, has set aside ~200 million in its 1997-98 health
budget to care for those who are HIV positive. It
estimates that it costs between ~8,000-~10,000 per
patient per year to provide medical support. It has also
earmarked ~52 million to spend on HIV/AIDS public
education programmes.
While medicines were seen as the best option for
preserving health by all but the Germans and British, who
believed diet and a healthier lifestyle had a more
important role to play, over half of the French
respondents (57 per cent) and over a third of those in the

other six countries quizzed either agreed or strongly
agreed that people with HIV suffered in hospital,
imprisoned by medicines!
Our opinion...
The EATG is shocked by the results of the survey.
Clearly, it reflects the differences in attitudes and
perceptions between European countries, and highlights
the disparate levels of awareness and understanding
which currently exist across Europe, but the non-linear
thought processes of everyone concerning HIV/AIDS is
mind boggling.
The fact that 82% of Europeans say people with HIV
can lead ordinary lives but, at the same time, do not want
to drink from the same cup, nor have safe sex with them,
is a major concern. An ordinary life is not attainable for
people with HIV while they are being marginalised within
society.
The results demonstrate clearly that we still have a very
long way to go when it comes to eradicating prejudice.
In most countries, there also needs to be more education
about the latest advances in treatments, including triple
therapy as well as the diagnostic tests, which can
dramatically improve the lives of those who are HIV
positive.
Survey sponsored by the EATG and made possible by an
unconditional grant from Abbott Laboratories.

8 WINTER 1997/98