Majority of new diagnoses in heterosexuals

LONDON, November 28, 2005  –  The number of people living with HIV in the UK is now around 58,300, according to a report released least week by the Health Protection Agency.  The 2,185 new diagnoses in 2004 among gay and bisexual men is the highest in the UK since 1990 .
 

This latest figures includes both those who have been diagnosed and also an estimated 19,700, who remain unaware of their infection and therefore undiagnosed.

“Our report Mapping the Issues coincides with World Aids Day and allows us to take stock of the progress made in our efforts to prevent the spread of HIV,” commented Dr Barry Evans, an HIV expert at the Agency.

“There is no part of the UK that remains unaffected by HIV or other sexually transmitted infections. The report shows that rates of infection vary across the country. This is due to a range of factors including differing levels of risk behaviour, urbanisation and demographics.

“During 2004, 7275 new HIV diagnoses were reported in the UK – this compares to 7217 diagnoses in 2003. The majority of cases (4287) were diagnosed in heterosexual men and women, 73% of which were likely to have been acquired in Africa.

“Of all cases thought to have been acquired in the UK, three-quarters were in gay and bisexual men and the total number of all new diagnoses in this group in 2004 – 2185 – was the highest since 1990.

“This figure is a combination of both those who have been infected for sometime who have come forward as a result of increased HIV testing, and those tested as a result of recent risk. Separate laboratory testing has also shown that the rate of new infections in gay and bisexual men has remained constant.

“While there has been a levelling off in the number of diagnoses likely to have been acquired through heterosexual sex in Africa between 2003 and 2004 (from 3457 to 3138), there has been a slow but steady rise in the number of heterosexual infections acquired in the UK in recent years, from 227 diagnoses in 2000 to 498 in 2004.”

Nick Partridge, chief executive of sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust expressed concern and called for Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) to allocate more cash to sexual helath.

“This is yet another increase in the number of gay men living with HIV in the UK,” he said.  “Three quarters of HIV infections acquired in the UK were in gay and bisexual men.

“It will be the same story year after year unless the recent Government funding to improve sexual health services is spent wisely.  That’s why we’re calling for PCTs [Primary Care Trusts] to commit publicly, today, to spend their share of the £250 million funding on the front line sexual health services that need it so desperately. 

“We’re at a crossroads - if we don’t concentrate on prevention and access to services  for gay men now, we will continue to have ever-increasing rates of HIV and the worst sexual health in Western Europe,” Mr. Partridge warned.

Some of the regional variations highlighted in the report include:

■ The steep rise in the number of syphilis infections from 2003 to 2004, from 1641 to 2254, has occurred against a backdrop of several localised outbreaks amongst gay men and heterosexuals in areas such as London and Manchester .

■ There have been 215 cases of Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) in an outbreak amongst gay men since 2004. This has mainly affected London and Brighton .

■ In 2004, the rates of people accessing HIV-related treatment and care services were much higher in England (91 per 100,000 population) than in the rest of the UK (17 to 46 per 100,000 population).

■ The London region cares for the largest number of diagnosed HIV individuals, with 22,642 accessing HIV-related care in the capital during 2004.

■ Gonorrhoea diagnoses in England (42/100 000) were more than double those in Wales (18/100 000) and Scotland (15/100 000), and were five times higher than those in Northern Ireland (7.3/100 000) in 2004.

■ There is a wide regional variation in access to genitourinary medicine clinics (GUM clinics) with less than 30% of patients in some areas being seen within 48 hours.

“Several prevention initiatives have progressed over the last year,” Dr. Evans continued.  “For example, there was greater uptake of voluntary confidential testing (VCT) for HIV at GUM clinics, particularly among gay men.

“This will help inform us about the transmission of the infection.  Also it was estimated that over 90% of HIV-infected pregnant women in England were diagnosed prior to giving birth.  As a result, the proportion of children exposed to maternal HIV infection who acquire HIV continues to decrease.

“People can play their own part in HIV and STI prevention by ensuring they protect themselves by practising safer sex with all new and casual partners. Anyone who thinks they have put themselves at risk of contracting infection should go to a sexual health clinic for testing. It is important to bear in mind that some infections can have no symptoms.”

Commenting on the report, Professor Peter Borriello , Director of the Centre for Infections at the Agency, said: “Mapping the Issues clearly demonstrates the contribution the Agency makes in monitoring the spread of HIV and other STIs, identifying changing patterns and risk groups and advising on interventions.

“By providing the most up-to-date information to those implementing prevention initiatives, and those on the frontline working with patients, the Agency assists in tackling rates of HIV and STIs.”

LINK

Mapping the Issues: Report website