New HIV Infections Frequently Occur Abroad
Image: YLE
The number of persons infected with HIV during visits abroad has grown in Finland. According to the National Public Health Institute (KTL), last year about one-third of new HIV patients were infected in foreign countries - mainly in popular holiday destinations like south-east Asia.
"Last year, the number of persons infected during sexual intercourse was particularly high in foreign countries. Time will tell if this is a long-term trend," says Mika Salminen, the head of the HIV Unit at KTL.
Around 160 new cases of HIV are diagnosed in Finland each year. The majority of the infections were obtained during sexual intercourse. Ten years ago, only around half of HIV cases were spread during sex.
"Finns' use of condoms as a birth control option is relatively rare," says Salminen.
Meanwhile the number of infections from sharing contaminated drug syringes is down.
The Finnish Aids Council has launched a campaign on safety while travelling. Information pamphlets on HIV are being distributed in trains stations in cities including Helsinki, Tampere, Jyväskylä, Kuopio and Joensuu, as well as at the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport and at passenger ship terminals in Helsinki and Turku.