HIV/AIDS in Argentina

HIV/AIDS in Argentina was considered a concentrated epidemic by 2012.

Prevalence
In 2019, UNAIDS estimates placed the number of people living with HIV at about 140,000.

In 2010, the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the general population was less than 1%. In some groups the percentage was 6%, while in others there is a major incidence. Considering the whole country, 70% of cases are concentrated in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, Córdoba and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.

History
In 1982 the first patient with AIDS was reported in Argentina. Since 1982, the Ministry of Health has kept records of cases. Until mid-2000, more than 17,000 patients (12,732 men, 3,074 women and 1,214 children under 15 years) were reported.

In 1987, it was reported the first case of a woman infected with HIV.

In 2012, 5,500 new HIV cases were being reported in Argentina every year. 90% of them acquired the virus by having sex without a condom.

In 2012, there were about 110,000 people infected with HIV in Argentina, of whom only 50% knew their status. Of these, 47,000 were under treatment, 69% in the public service and the rest covered by private health insurance plans.