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An estimated 6,840 new HIV diagnoses were reported in 2007 in the United Kingdom, according to latest figures from the Health Protection Agency and the figures show that over the past 12 months there’s no evidence of a fall in the current high rate of HIV transmission among gay men in the UK.
The figures are slightly less than for 2006 but a major contributor to that happening is a fall in the number infected heterosexual in Africa (down from 3250 to 2690)
Over a third of new diagnoses last year were from gay men. The final figure was 2,630 men which means seven a day being diagnosed as HIV positive. It’s the third year in a row that new diagnoses for gay men have been over the 2,600 mark, the highest levels since records began.
Dr Valerie Delpech , Head of HIV surveillance at the Health Protection Agency, said: “Gay men continue to be the group most at risk of acquiring HIV within the UK. We need to reinforce the safe sex message for gay men that the best way to protect yourself from contracting HIV is practising safer sex by using a condom with all new and casual partners. We must also shift the testing culture among gay men, encouraging more frequent testing particularly among individuals at greatest risk, such as those with a high number of sexual partners and men who attend GUM services.”
One reason for the higher numbers could be the fact that more tests for HIV are taking place but there is no suggestion that the overall level of underlying HIV transmission in gay men has fallen. Unprotected sex continues to be a very high risk activity for HIV in this group.
Professor Peter Borriello, Director of the Health Protection Agency’s Centre for Infections, said: “The control of HIV transmission is a major public health challenge and testing for HIV, and for all sexually transmitted infections in the UK , needs to be increased still further. If you care, get tested.”
Genevieve Clark, Director of Communications at Terrence Higgins Trust could see some cause for optimism in the statistics saying "There's clearly some good news here. More gay men are coming forward for testing and new diagnoses among gay men seem to be levelling off. But the fact remains that gay men are still at highest risk of HIV infection in the UK. For those numbers to come down, we need to step up resources for targeted HIV prevention programmes. More broadly, the numbers of people with undiagnosed HIV are still far too high. HIV testing must be made easier, quicker and more accessible for anyone who has been at risk of infection."
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