Increase in HIV+ blood donors

The number of blood donors with HIV is at its highest level in 16 years according to papers obtained from the UK's National Blood Service. The rise is believed to be closely linked to the increase in HIV levels among the population in general. In 2003, 42 people who gave blood were found to be carrying the virus, a two-fold increase on 1997 - 2002 figures.

More worryingly, in 2002, two infected blood donations got through the rigorous screening process used by the Service, and were used in transfusions. This is the first time this has happened since 1997. It is believed that both donations were received from people who had been infected in the previous 12 days. Despite very sensitive tests, HIV at such an early stage of infection does not always show up during screening. The Blood Service is currently working to introduce more sensitive tests, but they were keen to stress that their detection methods were highly effective, and that the chances of contracting HIV through a blood transfusion remain extremely low.  

 (The Independent, 16/02/05)

Conservatives propose compulsory HIV checks for immigrants

The UK Conservative party would enforce a policy of HIV, TB and Hepatitis testing for all non-European migrants if they win the next general election, according to the Tory leader, Michael Howard. However, only those found to have TB would be automatically excluded from entering the country. Immigrants found to have HIV and Hepatitis would have their cases reviewed on an individual basis.

At present, the UK is unusual in not testing for HIV among immigrants. Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Canada all have stringent testing policies for those wishing to emigrate.

The Tory policy is likely only to affect legal immigrants wishing to live, work or study in the UK for more than 6 months. Those visiting on holiday or staying for a short time would not be checked. Asylum seekers would also be excluded from compulsory testing, although they would continue to receive a free health check to ensure treatment is given where necessary and the general population is not put at risk.

AVERT.org has more about HIV and Immigration 

(The Independent, 15/02/05) 

Rising rates of HIV among older generation being ‘ignored’

The levels of HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections among people over 45 are on the increase, but are being ignored by most sexual health experts according to new book published by the Royal Society of Medicine Press this week.

Statistics compiled by both the CDC in the US and the HPA in the UK have demonstrated a steady rise in prevalence among older people for a number of years, but as yet, very little has been done to address the problem.

Of most concern were menopausal women, who now make up around 7% of patients diagnosed with HIV in the UK. According to the new book, entitled “Sexual Health and the Menopause”, the general assumption is that women will be in stable marriage by the time they reach their forties and fifties, and will not therefore be at risk of contracting HIV or STIs. However, in reality, an increasing number of women are now forming new relationships in later life, without ever having received the ‘safe sex’ message directed at the younger generation.

Older women are also at risk because of menopausal oestrogen deficiency, which can make vaginal and cervical tissues more fragile and therefore more susceptible to STI infection. Rates of chlamydia in UK women aged between 45 and 64 rose by 177% between 1995 and 2003, while rates of gonorrhoea rose 249%. While the actual numbers of women affected are small, it is suspected that there may be many more who have not been diagnosed due to embarrassment or confusion of symptoms with those of the menopause.

AVERT.org has more about Sexually Transmitted Infections

(BBC News, 11/02/05)

DoH to announce plans for new STI clinics in pharmacies

The Department of Health is set to announce plans for a range of Sexual Health screening services to be provided in high street pharmacies according to The Daily Mirror newspaper. Pregnancy testing, contraception and STI screening are all expected to be made available in branches of Boots and other pharmacies as part of the government’s drive to lower STI rates and cut waiting times at Family Planning and Sexual Health clinics.

The NHS may also soon be funding private firms to set up clinics aimed specifically at people who need appointments during their lunch hours and after work.

Nearly 90,000 people in the UK now have Chlamydia, the most common STI in the UK; levels of Syphilis are on the increase, (especially among gay men); and around 14,000 people are estimated to have HIV without being aware of their status.  

(The Daily Mirror, 04/02/05) 

Teachers give full support to more detailed sex education

An impressive 98% percent of UK teachers believe that young people should be taught about contraception at school according to a new poll carried out by the Times Educational Supplement.

The survey, which sought to gain the opinions of 700 teachers around the UK, also discovered that 82% of younger teachers (74% overall) would be happy to tell pupils that being gay or lesbian was nothing to be ashamed of.

The most controversial and unexpected finding however was that more than two-thirds of secondary teachers were in favour of pupils being given more advice on abortion. Given that Ruth Kelly, the new Education Secretary, has strict Catholic pro-life views and is opposed to all forms of birth control, it is hoped that such a clear message from teachers will ensure her personal stance will be kept out of public policy. 

 (TES, 04/02/05)

Record levels of HIV reported in Scotland

 The number of Scots living with HIV has hit an all time high, with 365 new cases being diagnosed last year, compared to the 258 cases diagnosed in 2003. The previous record was set back in 1986 when HIV first came to light as a serious issue and 348 people tested positive.

It is estimated that 2,800 are now living with HIV in the country, although many experts estimate that this figure is actually much higher, as it only includes people who have had a test.

While the figures are worrying, it is believed that much of the increase is due to a higher number of people being tested rather than a serious increase in incidence of HIV. Many clinics and healthcare professionals now recommend that people attending sexual health clinics be routinely tested for HIV, particularly if they have a history of risky sexual behaviour.

AVERT.org has more on HIV statistics in the UK

(The Scotsman, 01/02/05) 

Former UK Culture Secretary reveals HIV+ status

Tony Blair’s former culture secretary, Chris Smith has admitted he is HIV positive, and has been for the last seventeen years.

Smith, who was the first ever MP to be open about his homosexuality, said he was inspired to reveal his status following Nelson Mandela’s recent announcement that his son had died of AIDS.  He admitted that there was still ignorance and “quite a lot of prejudice around about HIV,” but hoped that by being open about his condition, people would begin to understand that it was an illness just like any other.

Smith is expected to stand down as the Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury at the next election, but is likely to play a major role in the government’s campaign to fight AIDS in Africa over the coming months.  “Thanks to the excellent care and quality of advice available through the NHS, I have been entirely fit and well and with no problems,” he said, “ [but] unfortunately that is not true for hundreds of thousands of people in the developing world…  The inequality across the globe is something I do want to highlight and help campaign against.”

(The Independent, 31/01/05)

Sex education in UK schools ‘poor’

Good sex education in UK schools is at best fragmented and at worst non-existent, according to a new study carried out by the UK schools inspection body, Ofsted.

The study, which looked at the provision of Personal, Social and Health Education in more than 60 schools, discovered that on average, just 60 minutes per week is spent teaching and discussing PSHE related issues, and that this teaching is often left to untrained and overstretched form tutors. In some schools, such education did not even exist; meaning pupils received little or no information about sex and other personal matters. This, said Ofsted’s chief inspector David Bell, is a completely “untenable” situation, particularly given the high levels of sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancies now occurring among school aged children in the UK.

In response to the findings, the Qualification and Curriculum Authority has produced a guide for schools that outlines how best to assess pupils’ progress in PSHE lessons. Some have suggested this may lead to yet more exams for already overburdened students. However ministers have insisted that they are simply trying to create a system that a) ensures all pupils receive accurate information, and b) enables teachers to assess how much of this information has been taken on board.  

(Daily Mail & BBC , 25/01/05) 

Report urges HIV checks for foreign doctors

A report commissioned by Migrationwatch UK has accused the government of failing to protect public health by not screening migrant doctors and healthcare workers for HIV and hepatitis.

Between 2002 and 2003, more than 40% of the nurses that registered with the NHS were from abroad, with about 1,300 arriving from South Africa alone, which has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in Africa. Among newly recruited doctors, nearly three quarters had qualified outside of Britain, with many coming from countries with high levels of HIV, TB and Hepatitis. However, the report does not specify to what extent this has actually had an affect on the health of patients and fellow medical staff.

Britain is unusual in not having a screening programme for new medical staff, as more than 50 other countries including America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have compulsory testing for new recruits. Some have suggested the government has adopted this policy to try and encourage as many overseas workers to enter the NHS as possible and alleviate the chronic shortage of doctors and nurses. However, while NHS numbers have been boosted, many of the poorest countries in the world are now facing a severe shortage of healthcare workers as a result. This, say many charities and NGOs is the real crisis, and one that is shamefully overlooked by both the UK government, and the leaders of the nations affected.

(The Daily Telegraph, 17/01/05) 

Government proposes $100 billion plan to fight AIDS

With the number of people infected with HIV and AIDS nearing 40 million worldwide, and 14,000 new infections occurring daily, the need for a vaccine has never been more pressing. Gordon Brown, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, confirmed this yesterday by proposing a radical $100bn plan to boost vaccine research.

While funding initiatives such as the President Bush’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the Global Fund are raising large amounts for education and antiretroviral treatment programmes essential to short term survival, Mr Brown was keen to stress that these were not the only ways to tackle AIDS, particularly in the long term. At present, only £400 million goes into vaccine research every year, meaning a viable vaccine may take 15 years or more to develop. By increasing this to $10bn a year (£5.3bn) until 2015, and encouraging other countries to contribute, the chancellor said he hoped development could be speeded up.

Speaking on the first day of a four country tour of Africa, Mr Brown said, “We must be more bold. The challenge is to internationalise research… Doubling funding for research could advance the discovery of an AIDS vaccine by three years, saving six million lives.”

He already has support from over 50 countries on the project, which, if successful would see international scientific collaboration on the scale of the Human Genome project. However the treasury has yet to persuade the US to sign up to the deal, and some have suggested that pharmaceutical companies may also be reticent to invest more, as a product designed for use in the poorest countries in the world is unlikely to bring them profits.

To tackle this problem, the chancellor has called for the West to pledge to buy 300 million doses of a future AIDS vaccine, which could potentially create a $6bn market for the drug. He also called for more efforts to supply developing countries with antiretroviral drugs, unveiled a £150m campaign to help children orphaned by the illness and highlighted the importance of general poverty reduction as a way of tackling infection rates.

(The Independent, 13/01/05; The Times, 13/01/05)

Discrimination against HIV+ people still rife in UK

A new report launched today by the All Party Parliamentary Group on HIV and AIDS has shown that the stigma attached to HIV is as bad, if not worse than ever in the UK.

The survey, commissioned by the National AIDS Trust and conducted by Sigma Research, sought the views and personal experiences of 150 people with HIV, and found that at least a quarter had suffered some form of discrimination since their diagnosis. Particularly affected were Gay men and African people living in the UK, who often experienced homophobia and racism at the same time.

As a result, many HIV+ people are now reticent to disclose their status for fear of discrimination from employers, family and the public. Gay men who had not yet revealed their sexual orientation to their families said they felt compelled to keep the fact they were positive secret, and the taboo surrounding the virus among African populations made it difficult for many to seek help and support.

The report also criticised the government asylum policies, such as that banning asylum seekers from finding legal employment and thus a legal means of supporting themselves. The policy of distributing HIV+ immigrants around the country was also accused of breaking down support networks and leaving people far from essential HIV services.

More information about HIV and AIDS in the UK can be found here.

(NAT Press Release & Scotsman.com, 11/01/05) 

MPs campaign for farmer's subsidies to be diverted to combat AIDS

A group of MPs is campaigning for billions of pounds paid in European Union subsidies to farmers to be diverted to combatting HIV & AIDS in the Third World.

On Christmas Eve the Daily Telegraph published a letter signed by 22 former ministers from both Labour and the Conservative Party and claiming the support of 117 MPs from all parties. The authors say that the AIDS crisis is "one of the most urgent moral challenges facing the world today" and that "money could be most easily and fairly found by cutting the taxpayers' subsidies to Europe's richest farmers."

The present scheme of subsidies for farmers costs the EU more than £32 billion a year with 24 per cent of payments going to the largest two per cent of farms. Under the demands of the campaigners, £3 billion of this money would be diverted to funding drug treatment for Africans living with HIV.

In collaboration with church leaders, the politicians have written a petition calling for the European Commission to redistribute funds. The document will be handed out in hundreds of churches across Britain at the end of services over the Christmas period. Next year, the MPs plan to take the petition to the rest of Europe with a tour of the continent, gathering more signatures.

The campaigners say that if more than a million signatures are collected then the European Union must act to meet their demands. The petition is available at www.helpafricapetition.com.

(Daily Telegraph 24/12/04, Reuters 24/12/04)

Prejudice still an issue for UK HIV and AIDS victims

A new survey has shown that 20% of the UK population think people with HIV only have themselves to blame for contracting the virus.

A total of 2000 people were polled, of which 26% believed they had the right to know who had HIV and AIDS in their community, and 41% thought asylum seekers should be deported if they were shown to have HIV. More worryingly, nearly a quarter thought drug users who contract HIV through sharing needles should not receive treatment on the NHS and 60% said they would have more sympathy for someone who had contracted the virus through a blood transfusion than through unprotected or promiscuous sex.

As well as prejudice, there still seems to be general ignorance surrounding the issue of transmission. Only 64% of people knew that babies could be infected during childbirth, while 11% though you could get HIV from kissing and 5% though sharing cutlery was a risk. 17% of people said they’d be worried if they knew their doctor also treated HIV positive patients.

Ros Davies, chief executive of Interact Worldwide said “Many respondents… still perceive HIV/AIDS as a disease affecting only minority groups - gay men, drug users and prostitutes… [It] should be an issue for everyone.”

AVERT.org has more about HIV and AIDS in the UK

Government to Launch £300m anti-STI campaign

John Reid, the UK Health Secretary, has announced proposals for a £300 million campaign to tackle the rapidly increasing rates of Sexually Transmitted Infections in the country. "Prevention messages are not getting through," he said, “We need to act now on sexual health - and make it a priority."

The campaign, which will include a number of high-profile television advertisements, is a reaction to a report published yesterday by the HPA, which showed an alarming increase in the number of cases of HIV, Chlamydia and Syphilis in the country (see 53,000 UK Adults Now Living with HIVbelow).

£130 million of funding will go towards the modernisation of GUM clinics, with £40m devoted specifically to contraceptive and other preventative services. £50m will also be spent on a TV advertising campaign aimed at young people, which will highlight the risks of unsafe and irresponsible sexual behaviour. It will be the largest campaign of its kind since the 1980’s ‘Tombstone’ adverts.

53,000 UK adults now living with HIV

A Health Protection Agency report out today shows an estimated 53,000 adults in the UK are now living with HIV, an increase of around 3,500 on 2002 figures. Of this figure, over a quarter (14,300) are though to be unaware of their positive status.

Of the 6,606 new infections diagnosed during 2003, 58% (3801) were among heterosexuals, while gay and bisexual men accounted for 26% (1735) – the highest figure in 10 years. Migration of people from areas with high levels of HIV (such as sub-Saharan Africa) is thought to account for a large proportion of new reported infections, particularly among the heterosexual community.

Rates of other sexually transmitted diseases are also on the increase, particularly among young people aged 16-24. While levels of Genital Herpes and Gonorrhoea are down, cases of Chlamydia have increased significantly, making it now the most common STI in the country. A total of 89,818 people were diagnosed with the infection in 2003 alone, a 9% increase on the previous year. New syphilis outbreaks are also causing concern. Although it remains the least common STI in the country, cases have increased by 1058% since 1995, with 1399 men and 181 women diagnosed last year alone.

The report, Focus on Prevention came just days after the release of a government White Paper on Public Health which highlighted the need for improved access to Sexual Health clinics and reduced waiting times for those needing help. At present, fewer than a third of patients get an appointment within the new government target period of 48 hours, and many have to wait up to two weeks to be seen. However, a new screening program for Chlamydia, which should be extended nationwide by March 2007, is expected to relieve some of the burden on GUM clinics and will hopefully lead to the diagnosis and treatment of a significant proportion of individuals with few or no symptoms.

Gay Hate Reggae Lyrics 'fuel HIV rates'

Homophobic Reggae stars that sing about killing gay people are encouraging the spread of HIV with their lyrics according to the UK Minister for International Development, Gareth Thomas.

He accused Reggae Stars such as Baju Banton and Sizzla (who tells fans to ‘kill dem Batty boys’ and was recently refused entry into the UK) of making men too scared to go for HIV tests in case are labelled as gay. In the Caribbean, where Mr Thomas was speaking a part of an anti-discrimination conference, HIV/AIDS is still very much seen as a homosexual illness, despite the vast majority of transmission taking place through heterosexual sex.

Mr Thomas ended the conference by stating “What affects the Caribbean community also affects the Caribbean community in the UK… The same discrimination is preventing many gay and heterosexuals coming forward to be tested."

The region has the fastest growing rate of HIV infection anywhere outside Sub-Saharan Africa, a problem that both the British and Caribbean governments are now keen to address.

Rising STI rates targeted in White Paper on Public Health

The most significant promise made however to reduce the waiting times at GUM clinics. By 2008, everyone referred to a GUM clinic should not only be able to visit one locally, but should also be guaranteed an appointment within 48 hours.

AVERT.org has more information about Sexually Transmitted Diseases.

High Incidence of HIV found among London’s Injecting Drug Users

STIs in London rise by a third

According to new government figures, the number of Londoners suffering from a sexually transmitted infection rose from 169,721 cases in 1997 to 228,641 in 2003.  Camden Primary Care Trust saw the sharpest increase – in 1997 the borough’s clinics treated 15,714 people for STIs. By 2003 however, this figure stood at 26,987, a rise of more than 40% in six years.  Despite the Health Department spending millions on a sexual health strategy, many are saying that the only way to stop the current explosion in STI rates is to improve sex education in schools, and increase accessibility to sexual health services and clinics across the country.

More information about STIs can be found in AVERT’s STI section.

Teenagers to be sent Safe Sex Tests

The sexual health advisory, Brook, has set up a system of information text messages to try and cut pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections among teenagers.  By texting BROOK HELP to 81222, users will receive a menu of options that will give them access to a wide range of sexual health topics, including STIs, contraception, counselling and details of their nearest sexual health service.  708,083 people were diagnosed with an STI in 2003, and on average, one in ten young people have already had sex by the age of fourteen.

More information about the scheme can be found at www.brook.org.uk.