New HIV Cases In Amsterdam Plunge To Almost Zero

The number of new cases of HIV in Amsterdam fell to nine last year, thanks in part to the preventive drug Prep, according to new figures from the Dutch Aids fund.

In 2021, 66 people in the Dutch capital were diagnosed with HIV, and in 2019, 128. Since 2010, the number of HIV infections in Amsterdam has fallen by 95%, according to ‘Dutch News’.

“This is fantastic news,” the agency said in a statement. “Amsterdam has shown it is possible to stop Hiv and Aids. We are asking the next government to show the same focus and effort.”

Amsterdam city council made extra funding available to prescribe Prep for more people with a higher risk of infection, including some sex workers. The government launched a five-year funding programme in 2019.

Some 24,000 people in the Netherlands are currently living with Hiv, which is no longer fatal, given advances in treatment.

Nationwide, 427 people were diagnosed with Hiv in 2021, the last year for which total figures are available.

Read related myGwork articles here:

New HIV Infection Rates In U.S. Drop Thanks To Progress In Young People

Public Health England Reports 10% Drop In New HIV Diagnoses In 2019

HIV Rates Drop to Record Low in New South Wales