Paraguay has witnessed a rise in new HIV diagnoses, according to a report presented by the General Directorate of Health Surveillance.
In 2022, a total of 1,519 new HIV cases were reported, with the majority affecting men. Among these cases, 495 were categorized as AIDS, accounting for approximately 59% of diagnoses in the general population.
The capital city, Asunción, recorded the highest rate of new diagnoses at 57.21%, followed by Amambay, Misiones, Central, and Concepción departments.
The official report highlights a progressive increase in new HIV infections in recent years, with a 26.48% rise in new diagnoses from 2021 to 2022 compared to the previous year.
The majority of new cases were found in the general population (58.66%), followed by men who have sex with men (32.19%) and pregnant women (6.91%).
Conversely, there were lower proportions of new diagnoses among incarcerated individuals (0.20%), female sex workers (0.20%), drug users (0.33%), and the transgender population (0.99%).
The report reveals that 52.73% of newly diagnosed cases were in the 20-34 age group, while 0.72% were under the age of 5.
In terms of mortality, 112 deaths due to HIV were reported in 2022, with 87 men and 25 women succumbing to the disease, resulting in a cumulative mortality rate of 4.72 in the country.
Since the beginning of the HIV epidemic in Paraguay in 1985, a total of 26,569 people have been diagnosed with HIV, with 9,413 deaths recorded.
Currently, there are 17,156 individuals living with HIV in the country, as per the report’s findings.