HIV/AIDS surveillance in Germany.

In Germany, since 1982, information on AIDS cases has been collected at the AIDS Center of the Robert Koch Institute. Since 1987, all laboratories performing HIV confirmatory testing have been required to report positive results anonymously. AIDS incidence peaked at about 2000 cases per year in 1993 and began to decline in 1995 following the widespread use of highly effective antiretroviral treatment. Current data indicate that the AIDS incidence has stabilized at a level of 750 cases per year since 1998. The number of newly diagnosed HIV infections has remained fairly stable at approximately 2000 to 2500 per year since 1993. Unlinked anonymous testing of dried blood spots from newborns is carried out in two federal states. The average prevalence of HIV seropositivity from 1993 to 1997 among women bearing children was 0.57 per 1000 in Berlin and 0.14 per 1000 in Lower Saxony.