In the first ten months of this year, 58 persons in Croatia have been diagnosed with HIV, including AIDS, down from 69 at the same time last year, the Public Health Institute said on Wednesday on the occasion of World AIDS Day.

Of those 58, 18 had AIDS. In said period, 12 persons infected with HIV died, including three of AIDS.

Since 1985, when HIV/AIDS was first registered in Croatia, there have been 1,886 registered cases of infection, including 590 persons who have developed AIDS. Since then, there have been 326 deaths, including 240 due to AIDS.

Of the 58 cases registered in the first ten months of this year, 53 were men. In 47 cases, the likely transfer occurred during sex between men, in nine during heterosexual sex, while in two cases it was not established.

According to data from Zagreb’s Dr. Fran Mihaljevic Infectious Diseases Hospital, in the first 11 months of this year 1,358 HIV patients were included in treatment, with 1,305 taking antiviral medication.

The treatment outcomes are good, but about 50% of cases of infection are diagnosed when the patients have already developed AIDS.

In recent years, about 100 HIV cases are diagnosed in Croatia on average every year, or 2.3 per 100,000 population, whereas the EU average is 5.4.