Nicosia: Cyprus is regarded as one of the first EU Member States to meet and exceed the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets, with 2024 estimates indicating diagnosis rates of approximately 94-95%, treatment coverage of 97-98%, and viral suppression exceeding 95%, the AIDS Solidarity Movement said in a press release here on Thursday, noting that it is estimated that about 2,000 living with HIV in Cyprus.
According to Cyprus News Agency, HIV Outcomes convened a breakfast roundtable on Tuesday in Nicosia, bringing together senior health officials, parliamentarians, community leaders, epidemiologists, and patient advocates to discuss how HIV care success can be built upon and shared, as people living with HIV age and health systems face mounting pressures.
The AIDS Solidarity Movement stated in a press release that the event, entitled "From national success to EU leadership: How Cyprus can inspire HIV progress into EU-level policy action", was held under the auspices of the 2026 Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union, with the support of the Foundation for Parliamentarism and Participatory Democracy of the House of Representatives. It was moderated by Prof. Caroline Sabin, Professor of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology at University College London and Co-Chair of HIV Outcomes.
The roundtable highlighted the opportunity to elevate HIV on the EU health agenda during Cyprus' Council Presidency until the end of June 2026, especially given their priorities of long-term care and healthy ageing. It was further noted that Cyprus has become one of the first EU Member States to meet and exceed the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets, marking a standout achievement across the European Union.
Speakers attributed this success to integrated, specialist HIV care delivered through dedicated clinics in Larnaca and Nicosia, community-centered engagement and psychosocial support, notably through the AIDS Solidarity Movement, strengthened epidemiological surveillance backed by university-based research, and the introduction of a national PrEP programme in October 2025, offering free and confidential access to all individuals at risk, including those not registered with the national health system (GESY).
However, speakers were candid about remaining challenges, including persistent stigma and discrimination in healthcare and employment, care concentrated in only two specialist clinics, and the growing need for integrated pathways to address comorbidities and the complex health needs of an ageing population of people living with HIV.
With an estimated 2,000 people living with HIV in Cyprus, and many ageing with multiple comorbidities, participants argued for new EU-level policy frameworks that address health-related quality of life, mental health, social determinants, and long-term care pathways, beyond just viral suppression.
As Europe debates health security and resilience frameworks, policymakers risk overlooking the enduring lessons of HIV. The roundtable called for the HIV response, built on prevention, community trust, and unbroken continuity of care, to be explicitly embedded into EU pandemic preparedness planning and health resilience frameworks.
The roundtable concluded by urging the Cypriot Presidency and EU institutions to promote people-centred, long-term HIV care at the EU level, protect centralised reference HIV services and community involvement, combat stigma, and focus HIV policy on quality of life, ageing with HIV, comorbidities, and social determinants of health.