HPA issues warning following massive rise in HIV diagnoses

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has warned that cases of HIV have risen exponentially, and anticipates a record 7,000 cases of the disease to have been diagnosed over last year.

According to new figures compiled by the HPA, newly diagnosed cases of HIV have increased by 20% between 2002 and 2003. And although the figures will rise further as late reports are received, 5,047 new diagnoses have been reported so far for 2003 compared to 4,204 at the same time last year.

When all reports have been received the HPA expects the total for 2003 to be the highest ever at over 7,000.

The agency said that almost a third of the 49,500 people currently living with HIV in the UK are still unaware they are infected – and the rising trend in new diagnoses is liable to only get worse before it gets better.

Dr Barry Evans, an HIV expert at the Agency speaking at today’s Board meeting, said: “The year-on-year increase we are observing in the number of newly diagnosed HIV infections is a cause for considerable concern."

He added: “The increase over the last year has been seen amongst both gay men and heterosexual men and women, and transmission of HIV within the UK is also continuing to increase.”

There has been a 27% increase in heterosexual diagnoses over the last year with 2,785 reports so far for 2003 compared to 2,199 at this point last year for 2002. Although around 80% of this is due to infections contracted in countries with high HIV prevalence, infections contracted within the UK have also risen from 195 this time last year to 254 so far for 2003, and are likely to rise further to almost 400 when all reports are received.

New diagnoses amongst gay men are expected to rise to over 2,000 when all reports are received and will be the highest in any one-year since HIV testing became widely available in the late 1980’s.

Reports received so far show there were 1,414 new diagnoses amongst this group during 2003 compared to 1,195 at this time last year for 2002 – although some of this is due to more prompt reporting pattern from some centres.

Transmission of HIV is still occurring amongst gay men and at least 10% of these new diagnoses are known to have been recently acquired.

The HPA has called for more intensive safe sex messages for the general population and reducing waiting times at GUM clinics so that people can be diagnosed and treated more quickly.

(gmcg)