According to the Global AIDS Update 2022, Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) has the fastest growing HIV epidemic in the world. In 2021, 160,000 [130,000–180,000] people were newly infected with HIV — a 48% increase since 2010. There were 44,000 [36,000–53,000] AIDS-related deaths in the region in 2021, 32% higher than in 2010.
As of 2021, 63% of people living with HIV (PLHIV) were aware of their status, 81% of people who knew their HIV-positive status were on treatment (51% of all PLHIV) and 94% of people on treatment were virally suppressed (48% of all those infected). Unsafe injecting practices are a key factor in the region’s epidemic. Opioid agonist therapy (OAT) is available in Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and the Republic of Moldova, but it barely reaches those in need in Kazakhstan and is unavailable in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
