25,000 people living with HIV in Switzerland

As the international community marks world AIDS day on Tuesday, figures show that some 25,000 individuals are currently HIV-positive in Switzerland.

With an average of 600 newly infected individuals diagnosed with the sexually transmitted virus every year, the confederation is one of the most affected Western European nations, according to the Swiss AIDS Federation.

In light of these numbers, the Swiss Office of Public Health (FOPH) has set out to half the number of individuals infected by HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases by 2017 by enhancing preventive efforts in the country.

Plans to address HIV-related stigmatisation have also been drawn up in the light of persisting discrimination. In 2015 alone, 116 such cases were recorded, most of them carried out by social and private insurances.

Official figures show that over 7,000 people have died from AIDS in Switzerland between 1983 and 2014.

While Switzerland recorded 575 new HIV infections in 2014, close to a quarter of which were registered by women, global statistics reveal that 2 million people were infected by the virus last year alone. Endit