Five EU countries do not apply preventive antiretroviral treatment (PrEP) programs in people at increased risk of infection HIV virus our country remains. Although the availability of PrEP in Greece was legislated in September last year, a Joint Ministerial Decision (health, finance, digital governance) has not yet been adopted, which will determine the groups of citizens who will receive it, the conditions and procedure for its appointment.

Most countries in Europe have included PrEP in their strategies to try to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030, in line with the goal set by the United Nations. According to his report European Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC)in 2022 from 55 member countries World Health Organization In Europe, treatment is available in 38 countries, and in 23 countries the cost is fully covered by the health system. It is not available in 17 countries, five of which are EU members. (Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania and Latvia). In Germany, 30,000 people received PrEP at least once last year, i.e. in France, 24,000 in the UK and only 10 in Tajikistan. Indications for treatment are homosexual men who have sex. It is also administered to sex workers in 23 countries, also to heterosexuals at higher risk of infection in 21 countries, and to injecting drug users in 15 countries. In most countries (29), PrEP is prescribed by a doctor. In four countries, the doctor must be an infectious disease specialist. The cost of purchasing PrEP ranges from 4 to 434 euros for 28 or 30 tablets, if we are talking about generic, and from 165 to 6041 euros, if we are talking about the original.

Committee and WHO

In Greece, following a vote on PrEP availability, a committee was appointed to look into who would receive PrEP and under what conditions. Such as said K. head of the committee, president of the Hellenic Society for the Study and Treatment of Age Marios Lasanas, the committee’s proposals submitted to the Ministry of Health since November are largely in line with WHO recommendations. According to the WHO, PrEP can be taken by people who are HIV-negative but at high risk of becoming infected, such as partners of HIV-infected people who are either untreated or have a detectable viral load, and people in populations. with high HIV prevalence and who also have unprotected sex with more than one partner or have a history of sexually transmitted infections. Among the committee’s recommendations is to be tested for HIV before starting treatment, and annual testing is recommended for those on treatment for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. The committee estimates that, initially, 1,000 people in our country are expected to benefit from PrEP.