[ECDC] 59,000 Deaths: Europe Off Track for SDG Targets for HIV, TB, Viral Hepatitis, and STIs

7 May 2026

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control news release

The European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA) are not on track to reach many of the indicators of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.3 target aimed at ending the epidemics of HIV, TB, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). A report published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) highlights that millions of Europeans are living with, or experiencing the effects of, these preventable illnesses. Together, they cause over 59 000 deaths annually in the EU/EEA. While mortality due to HIV and TB has decreased, neither trend is on track to reach the targets. Accounting for 90% of these annual fatalities, deaths from hepatitis B and C persistently remain high and show no signs of a declining trend.

Based on the progress observed to date, ECDC has recommended that EU/EEA countries focus on three priority actions to accelerate progress towards the targets: expanding targeted prevention interventions, scaling up effective testing and treatment services, and improving the availability of high-quality surveillance and monitoring data to better track progress and guide public health action.

Read the full news release and access the report, along with related materials, here.

Source: ECDC