Prevention works

Concerning the spread of the epidemic, Germany reports positive developments. Current estimates show that the numbers of new HIV-infections have been decreasing since 2007. Responsible for this success is a consistent, long-term oriented prevention strategy which is divided into governmental and non-governmental prevention activities. Thereby it is possible to reach the general population as well as groups vulnerable to HIV. Awareness to take preventive measures within the population is high and inhibitions regarding early HIV-testing have decreased. Globally, Germany is among the countries with the lowest rate in new HIV infections.

For more than 25 years the German Federal Government is engaging in the response to HIV and AIDS. Of principal concern for the strategy are preventing new infections and demonstrating solidarity and providing support to people who live with HIV and AIDS. The strategy is based on human rights principles such as the respect for human dignity, gender equality and non-discrimination.

Below are the key elements of this coherent HIV and AIDS strategy:

• Objective and unbiased information and prevention campaigns that urge a change from high-risk behaviour to condom use to prevent new infection
• Universal access to HIV testing and to adequate therapy and care
  for persons living with HIV and AIDS, and strengthening of health and social services
• The creation of a social climate of solidarity and non-discrimination
• Coordination and cooperation of national and international activities
• Monitoring of the epidemiology of new infection
• Strengthening of biomedical, clinical and social science research
• Constant evaluation and improvement of the quality of national programmes and secondary programmes

The Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) manages the implementation of the HIV and AIDS strategy and continuously develops it. The BMG also coordinates cooperation between the German Government, the German states, municipalities and civil society in this area and represents the German Government in European and international organizations involved in the response to HIV and AIDS.

Since 1985, the German Government has made considerable funding available to inform the public in general and high-risk groups in particular about how HIV is transmitted and how people can protect themselves from infection. The ministry conducts professional/technical supervision of the Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA), the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI) and the Heinrich Pette Institute (HPI). The Federal Centre for Health Education is in charge of the campaign for the general population “Don’t give AIDS a chance”. The brief of the RKI includes observation and analysis of the epidemiological course of the HIV infection and AIDS disease. The PEI is responsible for clinical testing and for approving medicines. The HPI conducts research into the biology of the HI-virus.

As a result of the long-standing nationwide campaign “Don’t give AIDS a chance”, the inclusion of non-prejudicial HIV prevention in school curricula, and measures specifically geared to particular target groups, nearly everyone in Germany is informed of the risk of infection and knows what measures they can take to protect themselves. Seventy percent of Germans are willing to help people with HIV and AIDS, and only 5% would abandon someone with HIV. At the same time the attitude in the general public towards the use of protection has increased continually in the past years. The regular use of condoms has increased in the population group without regular partner aged16-44 years from 49 per cent in 2004 to 63 per cent in 2010. In parallel, the rate of individuals who have tested their HIV-status at least once increased continuously to 43 per cent (women) and 37 per cent (men) respectively.

AIDS prevalence in Germany is estimated to be 73,000 HIV-infected persons, less than 0.1% of the overall population. It is thus very low by international standards. In 2011 approximately 2,700 people were newly infected with HIV, cf. Basic HIV/AIDS data and trends in Germany (end of 2011) (PDF, 60 kB)

In Germany, everyone has a right to medical and psychosocial services that meet the latest medical standards. As a rule, care is financed through obligatory public or private health insurance. The health ministry promotes voluntary, anonymous HIV testing combined with counselling; it also favours testing for additional transmissible diseases that are known to be HIV co-infections. Since Germany is a federally structured country, the German states and municipalities are primarily in charge of providing the actual advisory and support services.

In Germany, many different socio-political bodies are engaged in the response to HIV. Cooperation among the German states, cities and communities together with civil society has resulted in a broad network for information and education, advisory services and care.

In Germany, many different socio-political bodies are engaged in the response to HIVfight against HIV. Cooperation among the German states, cities and communities together with civil society has resulted in a broad network for information and education, advisory services and care.
German civil society has been involved in developing strategies to respond to HIV right from the start. The German Government has supported self-help groups of people living with HIV and AIDS, Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe (DAH), on both national and regional levels. It has promoted and financed their campaigns and projects. It also fosters active integration of civil society at the global level.

The German HIV prevention strategy is shaped by actively integrating politicians, scientists, the private sector, churches and religious communities and social partners, too. Many activities with major public impact are conducted with the help of volunteers and high-profile personalities, such as prominent artists and athletes and other famous individuals. Such persons advance the de-stigmatisation of people living with HIV and AIDS.

The target group “men who have sex with men” (MSM) accounts for about 2/3 of all HIV-infected persons in Germany. With financial support from the Federal Ministry of Health the NGO Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe (DAH) created and implemented the prevention campaign “I KNOW WHAT I DO” (IWWIT), which targets gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM). Its objective is to empower men to protect themselves from HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and to promote their health. Messages from authentic role models transport information on prevention and spread information about living with HIV and AIDS.

Germany has an internationally recognised and comprehensive drug and addiction assistance system, cf. Federal Government Report on Drug Use and Addiction in Germany (PDF, 2.4 MB), that includes needle exchange programmes, low-threshold psychosocial shelters, counselling projects and drug use facilities. Of an estimated 130,000 persons who use opiates, some 76,000 are undergoing opioid substitution therapy. A further 12,000 drug-dependent persons are given inpatient abstinence support.

For the World AIDS Day 2010 the BMG, in cooperation with the BZgA, the Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe (DAH) and the German AIDS Foundation (DAS), launched a campaign with the objective to reduce discrimination and stigmatization. HIV-positive individuals campaign publicly and actively for solidarity and inform about present-day life with HIV and AIDS. This creates an important impulse for the public discourse in order to reduce still existing stigmatization.

Cooperation in Europe

The European Commission demonstrates initiative in the response to HIV and AIDS at the European and international level. The Commission is supported by the “EU Think Tank on HIV/AIDS”, set up by the EU Commission in 2004, to serve as a platform to exchange information, conduct informal consultations between EU-institutions, EU-Member States and neighbouring countries, international organizations as well as representatives of civil society. The BMG continuously accompanies the work of the Think Tank. Additionally, to serve as a forum for cooperation and exchange for civil society, the Civil Society Forum was established in which the DAH is represented.

The Member States of the European Union are committed to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which cover HIV and AIDS and other issues concerning development cooperation. In addition, with the Dublin, Vilnius and Bremen Declarations the EU has specified the joint European work regarding AIDS. The Member States committed to a strengthened political leadership role, partnership and cooperation, especially with eastern European and central Asian neighbouring countries.

The Federal Government has been expanding bilateral engagement in Germany’s East-European neighbouring countries since 2008. The focal country is Ukraine, as new HIV-infection rates rise in this country to an alarming scale.

The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) supports the Ukrainian Government through diverse measures. These are based on projects formerly funded and developed by the BMG between 2008 and 2011. All projects are coordinated and monitored by the GIZ office in Kiev. Planning interventions are done by involving the BMG and in agreement with the Ukrainian Government and other international donors, cf. Campaign "Fair Play"

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Federal Minister
Daniel Bahr

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Federal Ministry of Health (BMG)
11055 Berlin
Germany

T +49 30 18441-0
F +49 30 18441-1921
info@bmg.bund.de

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