The British National Health Service was urged today to improve rates of HIV testing as new figures show the dangerous virus continues to spread in high-risk groups.
Two new sets of public health guidance have been published, focusing on increasing the uptake of HIV testing.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) says that men who have sex with men and black African communities are disproportionately affected by HIV in England, and account for most new cases.
New cases in the UK have almost doubled over the past ten years, from 1,950 in 2001 to 3,780 in 2010.
The figures come from a Health Protection Agency report, which adds that if all new cases could be prevented, it would save more than £32 million per year.
Late diagnosis continues to severely affect patient’s health outcomes, according Dr Valerie Delpech of the agency. She calls for HIV tests to be routinely offered to all hospital admissions in high prevalence areas, as soon as possible.
"HIV is an extremely serious infection," she says. "There are excellent treatment options available nowadays but these are only at their most effective if the infection is diagnosed early, before symptoms appear.
"This is a challenge as most individuals will not be aware of their infection until they get tested for HIV. Testing for the infection must be increased in order to catch the infection as early as possible."
The NICE guidance calls for increased testing of HIV in key risk groups – UK black Africans and men who have sex with men. Recommendations include promotion and provision of HIV testing at venues that encourage or facilitate sex between men, and in areas where there are high local rates of HIV.
They also call for the misconceptions and stigma surrounding HIV testing to be addressed, to raise the testing rate among black Africans. Confidentiality and anonymity should also be emphasised, they add.
Leave a Reply