Sexual health/HIV charity Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) and HIV rights charity National AIDS Trust (NAT) have responded to new HIV data from Public Health England (PHE) showing 4,139 new HIV diagnoses in 2019, which represents a 10% drop in a year – 18% among gay and bisexual men, and 6% among heterosexuals. To see the stats, CLICK HERE.
While the figures are welcomed, THT believes there are still worrying high rates of late diagnosis with more than four in 10 people diagnosed late (42%).
Since this data, funding for HIV prevention pill PrEP has been allocated in England – but ongoing delays in provision and awareness raising among groups beyond gay and bisexual men means its impact continues to be limited.
The stats show:
- 4,139 new diagnoses, 10% down on last year and 34% down in five years.
- Stubborn levels of late diagnosis at 42% – especially in Black Africans (47%) and older people (56% among those aged 50-64).
- Gay and bisexual men drop a further 18%, making a 47% decline in five years. This is largely attributed to the knowledge and take up of PrEP and fast initiation of treatment after diagnosis, which stops HIV from being passed on.
Ian Green, Chief Executive at THT, said: “Gay and bisexual men have been hugely impacted by HIV since the very start of the epidemic. The sharp fall in diagnoses among this group since 2015 – including an 18% drop in 2019 – is a testament to what we can achieve when we utilise everything we have in the fight against HIV, including prevention pill PrEP and the fast initiation of HIV treatment for those diagnosed to stop the virus being passed on.
“But the progress for gay and bisexual men could be even greater and the 18% drop in this group in 2019 makes the delayed roll out of PrEP across the country even more frustrating. Because, despite the government handing £11.2m to local authorities in the first week of October, only a small number of clinics and in a smaller number of local authorities are delivering the promised uncapped PrEP provision. THT is still hearing story after story of people being turned away from clinics with no PrEP and no way of accessing this effective HIV prevention drug.
“The new data shows a worrying disparity in progress for groups outside of gay and bisexual men, which needs to be urgently tackled if we’re to end HIV transmissions within a decade. The 6% drop in new HIV diagnoses among heterosexuals is three times lower than the one for gay and bisexual men, which clearly underlines the shocking lack of awareness of PrEP in the community at large and highlights how wrong it is that PrEP is only available in sexual health clinics. However, it’s encouraging to see a 15% drop in new diagnoses among Black African people as one of the groups most impacted by HIV in the UK, but rates of late diagnosis remain much too high.
“If the government, NHS England and local public health commissioners want to see 2019 levels of reduction for gay and bisexual men across all groups, PrEP needs to far better known and be available in GP surgeries, gender clinics, pharmacies and as part of maternity care. In a year when so much focus has been on inequality and the Black Lives Matter movement, today’s HIV statistics show that some communities are being left behind in the fight against HIV. PrEP works for everyone – regardless of gender, sexuality, geography or ethnicity – but you can’t access something you don’t know about.”
Deborah Gold, Chief Executive of NAT, added: “The fall in new HIV diagnoses in England shown in today’s figures is great news, showing that prevention tools are working, such as frequent testing and access to the drug PrEP.
“However, our concern is that the decline shown in recent years is slowing, and less steep in some areas, outside London, and among some communities. Late diagnosis also remains stubbornly high, with 1,279 people diagnosed late in 2019. This suggests that current testing strategies are not reaching too many people.
“To have any hope of reaching the national target of ending new HIV transmission by 2030, we must see a significant increase in opportunities to test for HIV outside of sexual health clinics, and swift roll out of PrEP nationwide, including health promotion activities targeted at underserved populations such as women, and those from Black African communities.
“We cannot afford for progress to slow down. The government must deliver its promised HIV Action Plan to reach the 2030 goal.”
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