Press Release: HIV/AIDS – a resurgent epidemic in Europe and its neighbourhood: Commission calls for political leadership

The European Commission has adopted a paper on 8 September 2004 in which it calls for the EU to show political leadership in averting an HIV/AIDS epidemic in Europe and its neighbouring countries. The proportion of newly reported HIV cases has doubled in Western Europe since 1995. In certain of the countries that joined the EU on 1 May and in the EU's eastern neighbours the rates of new infections are the highest in the world. The paper calls for greater efforts to prevent the spread of the disease, measures to ensure people in poorer European countries have access to affordable treatment, better coordination of national HIV/AIDS strategies and action to develop new medicines and vaccines. The Commission's paper is due to be debated by Health ministers and AIDS experts from across the EU and its eastern neighbours at an international conference in Vilnius on 16-17 September.

• Primary Source

European Commission: DG Health and Consumer Protection: Threats to health: Communicable diseases: HIV/AIDS: Commission working Paper: Coordinated and integrated approach to combat HIV/AIDS within the European Union and in its neighbourhood, September 04 http://ec.europa.eu/comm/health/ph_threats/com/aids/docs/ev_20040916_rd01_en.pdf

European Commission: DG Health and Consumer Protection: Threats to health: Communicable diseases: HIV/AIDS http://ec.europa.eu/comm/health/ph_threats/com/aids/aids_en.htm

Lithuania: Ministry of Health: 2nd Open Europe AIDS Conference http://www.aids.lt/iac/

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