HIV-2 is less efficiently transmitted than HIV-1 by sex and from mother to child. Although AIDS may develop in HIV-2 carriers, it takes longer than in HIV-1-infected patients
Portugal has one of the highest HIV-1 prevalence rates in western Europe and, following a decrease in the last decade of HIV-1 infection in IDU, heterosexual contact is now estimated to be the most relevant transmission route in Portugal
Portugal has some geographical similarities with Finland: both are small and rather peripherical countries. However, the infection with the Human Immuno-de? ciency Virus (HIV) has different patterns in Portugal from those in Finland.