HIV stays high as safe sex funds fall
Friday 01 February 2013
Printable
EmailA dramatic fall in spending on safer sex campaigns for homosexual men has been blamed for a failure to cut the number of HIV cases in the last decade.
The warnings from charities followed a new study today showing that the number of men with the virus in England and Wales has stayed the same over 10 years despite a significant increase in the availability of testing and treatment.
One in 20 gay and bisexual men in Britain is estimated to have HIV, rising to one in 12 in London, with new infections plateauing at 2,300-2,500 annually, according to Medical Research Council and Health Protection Agency estimates.
Terrence Higgins Trust chief executive Sir Nick Partridge said: "Spending on safer sex campaigns for gay men has fallen dramatically over the past 10 years.
"Much greater priority needs to be given to HIV prevention by the NHS, local government and the gay community."
National Aids Trust policy director Yusef Azad added: "Prevention services so far have been under-resourced, without a clear focus on outcomes or effectiveness."
The Department of Health said free confidential HIV testing is widely available from the NHS.
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