The Robert Koch Institute (RKI): main building in Berlin. more
Germany’s Public Health institute RKI monitors the population’s health and wellbeing. more
The Robert Koch Institute is the German government's central institution for the identification, surveillance and prevention of infectious diseases in the Portfolio of the German Ministry of Health. more
On the occasion of the international AIDS conference at the end of July in Munich, the Robert Koch Institute has released new Key Data and Trends for the federal states and Germany, as well as a comprehensive analysis of the HIV/AIDS situation in Germany. The data has been published in English in the Epidemiological Bulletin 28/2024. The number of new HIV infections in Germany and among people of German origin who have contracted HIV abroad is estimated to be 1,900 in 2022 and 2,200 in 2023, which means that the number of new HIV infections in 2023 will be roughly the same as in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic. Compared to previous years, the proportion of first diagnoses with advanced infection or in the AIDS stage remained roughly constant. As HIV generally no longer leads to death, the number of people living with an HIV infection in Germany rose to 96,700 by the end of 2023. Of these, around 8,200 HIV infections have not yet been diagnosed.
The RKI researchers also address the most affected groups and trends in their analysis and provide recommendations. For example, expanding and actively promoting HIV self-tests would help reduce testing gaps in rural areas and smaller cities, thereby contributing to a decrease in the number of undiagnosed individuals. Additionally, increased information about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for people at substantial risk of HIV is recommended.
Since the introduction of PrEP within the framework of statutory health insurance (SHI) in September 2019, the number of PrEP users in Germany has shown a significant increase, which was only interrupted in 2020, most likely due to COVID-19. So far, no decline or plateau in the number of PrEP users has been observed. As of the end of 2023, approximately 40,000 PrEP users were estimated in Germany, including event-driven PrEP and PrEP among people without SHI.
The RKI estimates the number of new HIV infections each year. The results of these calculations can vary from year to year due to additional data and information as well as adjustments in methodology, providing an updated assessment of the epidemic's progress each year. The estimated new infections should not be confused with the new diagnoses reported to the RKI. Since HIV can go without noticeable symptoms for years, the infection itself may lie further in the past.
Date: 11.07.2024
