In 2023, it is estimated that 3,650 people will have been infected with HIV in France, according to figures from Public Health France.
This number has been stable since 2021, after a long period of decline, specify the authorities, who emphasize the importance of screening.
As World AIDS Day approaches, this Sunday, December 1, Public Health France is launching an information and prevention campaign among the general public until December 15 to emphasize the importance of screening for HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Because even if the number of people infected in France (3,650 in 2023) remains stable since 2021, 5,500 people discovered their HIV status in 2023, which represents a slight increase compared to previous years.
More than 10,000 people live with HIV without knowing it
Half of these people were infected more than two years ago. “HIV positivity particularly affects people born abroad; among them, women infected through heterosexual intercourse and men who have sex with men (MSM). Among people born abroad who discovered their HIV status in France in 2023, it is estimated that 42% will have been contaminated on the national territory. according to Public Health France. More precisely, among people who discovered their HIV status in 2023, 55% are heterosexual people, 40% are men who have sex with men, 3% transgender people, 1% drug users and less than 1% children.
The number of people living with HIV without being diagnosed is estimated at 10,756. However, despite an increasing number of screenings for several years, reaching its highest level in 2023 with nearly 7.5 million serologies carried out, 43% of HIV infections were discovered at a late stage of infection. “However, an early diagnosis makes it possible to resort to antiviral treatments, the preventive effect of which allows us to live in good health, without developing AIDS and without the risk of transmitting the virus,” the authorities insist.
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Screening for HIV and bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) should increase in 2024, in particular thanks to the expansion of free, non-prescription STI screening. Since September 1, thanks to MonTestIST, it has been possible to access screening without a prescription in a medical biology laboratory for hepatitis B, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. This screening is covered 100% for people under 26 and 60% for others. This new offer strengthens accessibility to screening to combat the increase in these infections.
Finally, if screening remains one of the essential pillars of the prevention of HIV and other STIs, it complements other measures in favor of combined prevention, particularly that relating to the accessibility of condoms in pharmacies. Since January 1, 2023, these have been delivered without a prescription and 100% covered for all young people under 26 years old.
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