As Public Health England releases its annual report on the UK’s HIV epidemic, HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) has released a response outlining how the UK can lead the world in reaching ‘the tipping point’ in the fight against the virus.
WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION modelling suggests that, if countries can meet a target of 90-90-90 by 2020 – 90% of people with HIV diagnosed, 90% of those diagnosed on treatment, and 90% of those on treatment having an undetectable viral load and therefore non-infectious – they can dramatically reduce the spread of infection by 2030.
Data released today by Public Health England has confirmed the UK is closer to this target than any other country in the world, with 76% diagnosed (rising to 84% among men who have sex with men), 90% of those diagnosed on treatment, and 90% of those on treatment non-infectious.
THT is now urging local and national government to accelerate efforts to reduce undiagnosed HIV and open up new avenues to get people tested.
Daisy Ellis, Acting Policy Director at Terrence Higgins Trust, said: “With the highest uptake of HIV treatment in the world, it really is within the UK’s grasp to halt the spread of the virus. We believe that tipping point can be reached within a generation, but only if we sustain HIV prevention efforts, drive down undiagnosed HIV, and explore every avenue we can to get more people testing more regularly. We all have a part to play in this, from GPs and hospital doctors to local and national politicians, businesses, community leaders, and every one of us. If ever there was a time to accelerate our HIV prevention efforts, it’s now.”
To view Recommendations in HIV in the UK – Reaching the tipping point, click here:
Recommendations include:
* Increasing opportunities to test in GP surgeries and A&E departments, especially in areas with a high prevalence of HIV. This includes supporting healthcare workers in these ‘non-traditional’ settings to increase the uptake of HIV testing.
• Introducing opt-out HIV testing in hospital GUM clinics and sexual health services. In 2013, only 79% of people attending a GUM clinic were offered an HIV test and only 80% of that group took an HIV test.
• Rolling out postal HIV testing programmes across the country, targeted at groups at increased risk of infection. In Terrence Higgins Trust’s 2013 pilot postal HIV testing scheme, 32% of those who returned a test had never tested for HIV before, and 25% had not tested in the last 12 months.
• Making sex and relationships education a statutory part of the curriculum in all schools. Currently this is not a statutory requirement and therefore many young people leave school without the knowledge and skills needed to negotiate healthy sexual relationships.
• Tackling HIV-related stigma among the general public, and in the media, so that people living with HIV feel more confident in disclosing their status. A 2013 survey by Terrence Higgins Trust found that 80% of people living with HIV did not feel able to disclose their HIV status because they were worried about negative reactions.
For more information about THT, click here:
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