LONDON, November 25 – Sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, remain one of the biggest infectious disease threats facing the United Kingdom, the annual report of the Health Protection Agency (HPA) says.

The report, published today, says that 400,000 new cases are diagnosed in English genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics each year.

On the UK as a whole, clinics dealt with more than 1.5 million new “episodes” – when patients are diagnosed, treated or advised about sexually transmitted infections each year.

The HPA data shows that at the end of 2002 there were an estimated 49,500 adults living with HIV in the UK.  And of these, just under a half (22,600) were gay and bisexual men.

A total of 5,542 new cases of HIV were diagnosed in 2002 – double the number of new cases in 1997.  Of the new diagnoses two year ago, the majority (3,152) were heterosexually acquired, with 2,238 of the new infections probably acquired in Africa.

The number of Africans living with HIV in the UK is put at 15,400 by the Agency.

“High risk sexual behaviour is one of the main factors behind the increase in transmission (of all STIs),” the report says.  “Recent syphilis outbreaks among gay and bisexual men were associated with frequent partner changes and concurrent HIV infection.”

The increased demand for sexual health services has led to longer waiting times at GUM clinics.  “This has been a cause of concern,” the HPA say.

And the Agency warns: “Delays in the diagnosis and management of infections increase the risk of onward transmission to sexual partners, and the likelihood of serious complication.”

Commenting on the latest statistics on HIV and sexual health, Nick Partridge, Chief Executive of Terrence Higgins Trust said:  “Today's figures confirm that the UK is in the grip of a serious HIV epidemic and is facing record levels of sexually transmitted infections.

“The Government's plans for a major sexual health awareness campaign are very welcome.  We urge the government to ensure that the campaign has high impact, is sustained and includes carefully targeted information for those most at risk from HIV and sexually transmitted infections,” he continued.

“We know how to improve the nation's sexual health – the basics of a good sex education, easy access to testing and treatment and increased public awareness would go a long way to reducing the epidemics we currently face.

“Now is the time for action at both local and national levels,” he insisted.

The Trust is calling for the following actions to help improve sexual health and HIV services in the UK:

■ Standards and targets for NHS bodies to ensure action on sexual health

■ Redesigning and modernising services in order to improve accessibility and speed of service delivery

■ Providing adequate financial, managerial and personnel resources to achieve this

■ A stronger role for the charity and community sector in designing and delivering services

■ A stronger focus on service implementation, both locally and nationally

LINKS
Read the full Annual Report of the Health Protection Agency
Health Protection Agency website
Terrence Higgins Trust website

25 November  2004