EUROPE: AIDS Awareness Has Diminished, Health Commissioner Says

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

EUROPE: AIDS Awareness Has Diminished, Health Commissioner Says

Inter Press Service (12.13.07) - Thursday, December 20, 2007
David Cronin

Many young people in the European Union lack basic knowledge about HIV/AIDS, EU Commissioner for Public Health Markos Kyprianou told members of the European Parliament on Dec. 12. Visiting a school to mark World AIDS Day was an "eye-opener," he said. The students "know that using condoms is the best protection" but "they are too embarrassed or too shy" to buy them, Kyprianou noted.

This "lack of knowledge" among Europe's youth has been highlighted by recent surveys on the subject, said Kyprianou. Some who were polled thought the disease could be acquired through touching, kissing or sharing a glass with someone who is HIV-positive. Conversely, others believed they were at no risk at all.

"The level of basic knowledge [within Europe] has been going down over the last five years, while the myths and misunderstandings have been rising," agreed John Bowis, a European Parliament member from Britain. "One in five don't know that it can be transmitted through sex without a condom."

According to the latest UN figures, more than 760,000 EU citizens have HIV/AIDS, and the number of infections has been increasing since 2002. In 2005, the EU recorded almost 27,000 new HIV cases.

The European Commission lacks the power to put AIDS higher up on the political agenda, said Kyprianou, because EU member nations retain control over many facets of health policy.

Italian member Vittorio Agnoletto called on the commission to push for mandatory sex education in schools across the EU.
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