- We are still living under a belief dating back to the 1990s that HIV is a problem of marginalised people. Meanwhile, the statistics of infection are growing every year. Unfortunately, half of the people find out that they are infected only after many years, when they often already have full-blown AIDS," says Magdalena Ankiersztejn-Bartczak, MD, PhD. Magdalena Ankiersztejn-Bartczak in an interview with WP abcZdrowie.
"Up to half of infected people do not find out they have HIV until many years later."
On 1 December, we celebrated World AIDS Day. 40 years ago, the first cases of people with HIV were detected. There are now an estimated 37.7 million people living with HIV worldwide. The most affected area is Africa, where most of those infected live, but rapid growth can also be seen in Russia or Belarus.
It would seem that, for the countries of the European Union, the problem of HIV has already lost its significance, because for years the numbers of infections have been either stable or declining. Unfortunately, Poland, with its conservative approach to sex education, is not among them. There are about 26,500 HIV-infected people in the whole country. However, according to experts, this figure may differ from reality, as Poles are very reluctant to be tested.
HIV can be contracted during sex, but also, for example, during a blood transfusion or organ transplant. It is also possible to "catch" the virus from a beautician when applying permanent make-up, if she uses needles that have been contaminated with the blood of infected persons. The same is true at a dentist or tattoo parlour. The virus can also be passed from a carrier mother to her child during childbirth and also through breastfeeding.
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