Aidsfonds warning as more young men are diagnosed with HIV

The Dutch Aids foundation Aidsfonds says it is concerned about the rise in cases of HIV in young men who have sex with men.

While the number of new cases of HIV was stable at 424 last year, 40 young men aged 15 to 24 were diagnosed with the virus, and that is due in the main to a downturn in condom use, the organisation said in a new report.

Young men under the age of 30 accounted for 29% of new cases last year, compared with just 15% in 2022. These men are also more sexually active, the Aidsfonds said.

‘There has not been enough focus on prevention in the Netherlands for some time now,” director Mark Vermeulen said. “Young men who have sex with men are being hardest hit. We need to intensify prevention campaigns. Youngsters need the information and tools to protect themselves against HIV.”

Vermeulen said he was also concerned about use of the HIV preventative drug PrEP, which offers 100% protection. “Far from everyone who is at risk uses it,” he said. Some 25% of the people who were diagnosed with HIV last year thought they did not need to use it. A further 19% had not heard of the drug.

The number of new cases of HIV in the Netherlands has been stable since 2020, following over 10 years of decline.