Plagues, Pestilences and Diseases
22 March 2011 Last updated at 21:24 ET
Shock as UK HIV/AIDS infection rate doubles
By Michelle Roberts Health reporter, BBC News
HIV contaminated blood HIV can be spread via blood and bodily
secretions
A doubling of new HIV infections in the UK in the past decade is
leading experts to tell GPs to offer testing to all adult male
patients in some areas.
Health Protection Agency data shows new UK-acquired cases rose
from just under 2,000 in 2001 to nearly 3,800 in 2010.
Many of these new cases are among men who have sex with men and it
is this group that campaigners hope to target.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has
launched new guidelines for doctors in England.
Routine testing
NICE says GPs should now offer and recommend HIV testing to all
men who register with a practice in an area with a large community
of men who have sex with men or an area that has a high prevalence
of HIV - meaning more than two diagnosed cases per 1,000 people.
Hospital doctors should follow similar advice for any men admitted
to their hospital.
“ These expanded HIV testing policies should be prioritised for
implementation as soon as possible” - Dr Valerie Delpech Head of
HIV surveillance at the HPA
Increased testing should help stop the spread of HIV by
identifying men at risk, NICE believes.
Men who have sex with men remain the group most at risk of
becoming infected with HIV.
New diagnoses in this group alone have increased by 70% in the
past 10 years.
There are more than 30,000 men who have sex with men living with
HIV in the UK and experts estimate nearly a third of these are
currently undiagnosed and unaware that they are infected.
Another high risk group that would benefit from increased HIV
testing, according to NICE, is the black African community living
in England.
In 2009, more than 2,000 black Africans were diagnosed with an HIV
infection; one-third of all new diagnoses in the UK.
Some of the Primary Care Trusts in England where HIV prevalence
greatly exceeds two per 1,000
* Brighton And Hove City PCT
* Camden PCT
* City And Hackney Teaching PCT
* Hammersmith And Fulham PCT
* Islington PCT
* Lambeth PCT
* Newham PCT
* Manchester Teaching PCT
* Southwark PCT
Professor Mike Kelly from NICE said: "HIV is still a serious
problem in this country, with a large proportion of people unaware
they are infected.
"This new guidance from NICE makes a number of practical
recommendations which aim to increase HIV testing by encouraging
healthcare professionals to offer it routinely to people in areas
where there are a high number of people living with HIV."
This would include parts of larges cities like London and
Manchester, as well as areas like Brighton and Hove.
Dr Valerie Delpech, head of HIV surveillance at the HPA, said:
"These expanded HIV testing policies should be prioritised for
implementation as soon as possible.
"The impact of late diagnosis is clearly demonstrated when you
look at deaths among people with HIV - three out of five of
HIV-positive individuals that die are diagnosed too late to gain
the most health benefits from their treatment, like increased life
expectancy."
HIV charities said the guidelines were a "vital step forward".