Key Findings - HIV Infection in Midi-Pyrénées, Update as of December 1, 2011

In Midi-Pyrénées, the number of people discovering their HIV-positive status, which had risen sharply in 2007, has remained constant and high since then. In 2010, the rate of positive serology tests was estimated at 106 per million inhabitants, placing the region among the most affected in mainland France. Over the 2003–2010 period, 40% of positive test results in Midi-Pyrénées were recent infections dating back less than 6 months, compared to 30% in mainland France. Over the 2003–2010 period, among those discovering their HIV-positive status, the proportion of men infected through homosexual/bisexual contact was higher than the national average (54% versus 37%), 29% are women (compared to 37% nationally) and 58% are French nationals (compared to 35% nationally). As is the case nationally, too few people receive treatment before an AIDS diagnosis. Among the 32 new AIDS cases diagnosed in 2009, 85% had not received any pre-AIDS antiretroviral treatment. Two-thirds of them learned of their HIV-positive status at the time of diagnosis, and one-third knew they were HIV-positive but had not received treatment prior to an AIDS diagnosis.