Press Release: HIV/AIDS – European Union and neighbouring countries pledge common action to counter resurgent epidemic

Health ministers, AIDS experts, industry and civil society representatives from across the EU and its eastern neighbours are meeting in Vilnius, 17 September 2004, to pledge action to counter a growing HIV/AIDS epidemic. The Vilnius conference is to adopt a declaration committing participants to a coordinated continent-wide effort to fight the disease with all involved working together in partnership. A package of measures set out in a paper presented by the European Commission (see IP/04/1076) is recognised as a key element of this effort. 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.

• Primary Source

European Commission: DG Health: Threats to Health: Communicable diseases: HIV/AIDS: Events: Vilnius Conference, September 2004 http://ec.europa.eu/comm/health/ph_threats/com/aids/ev_20040916_en.htm

European Commission: DG Health: Threats to Health: Communicable diseases: HIV/AIDS: Press pack http://ec.europa.eu/comm/health/ph_threats/com/aids/press_aids_en.htm

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

European Commission: Press Release: IP/04/1076 http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/04/1076&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

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