HIV Epidemiology in Sweden from Socio-geographic Aspects

Abstract

Through the Swedish National Reporting System of HIV infections, the occurrence of the infection within different groups at risk can be followed by county. The infection was initially observed among homosexual/bisexual men in Stockholm; thereafter cases were diagnosed also in the 2 major cities in southern Sweden, Malmö and Gothenburg, as well as in the urbanized counties west of Stockholm. Also among injecting drug users (IVDU), the infection was first observed in Stockholm. The spread of the epidemic in this population occurred westwards, but also to the industrial counties along the Baltic Sea north of Stockholm, while relatively few cases were diagnosed in Malmö and Gothenburg.