There were 317 new cases of HIV were diagnosed in 2024, a 22% drop in the number of new cases diagnosed in the year prior, the Health Ministry announced on Monday.
The HIV/AIDS incidence rate dropped from 4.1 to 3.2 new cases per 100,000 people in 2024, the ministry confirmed in data published on World AIDS Day.
Despite global efforts to raise awareness of the infection, 1.3 million people were newly diagnosed with HIV globally in 2024, according to the World Health Organization. The figure is approximately the same as in 2023.
Some 630,000 people have died from HIV-related conditions, including tuberculosis, recurrent pneumonia, and lymphoma.
By the end of 2024, an estimated 40.8 million people worldwide were living with HIV.
"Consistent medical follow-up and medication prevent the deterioration of the medical condition of HIV carriers and simultaneously prevent the transmission of the virus to others," said Dr. Or Krieger, Deputy Chief of the Public Health Division at the Health Ministry.
“The Health Ministry recommends getting tested for HIV for people who have sexual relations with new partners, those who have multiple sexual partners, new immigrants arriving from places where the prevalence of HIV in the general population is high, and every pregnant woman."
In Israel, testing for HIV can be completed with a blood test free of any costs at sexual health clinics, HIV centers, and at Health Maintenance Organizations.
What is AIDS?
AIDS, or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, is a collection of clinical symptoms indicating a failure of the immune system caused by the HIV virus.
HIV transfers through direct and constant contact between bodily fluids containing the virus and the absorbing mucous membranes of our body, or directly into the blood system, and with no exposure to air, according to the organization AIDS Israel.
HIV can be spread through sexual relations, from mother to child, or from transfers of infected blood, like needle-sharing.