One in twenty men in the UK were diagnosed with HIV in 2010. These staggering numbers do not account for men who are unaware of their infection.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) in the United Kingdom reports that people living with HIV in the UK reached 91,500 in total, and 3,000 of those individuals were gay or bisexual. These numbers are the highest in history according to the report. By 2012, more than 100,000 people in the UK will be living with HIV – the immune disorder that can eventually lead to AIDS.
HIV infections in metropolitan areas across the UK are slightly increased with 1 in 12 of the gay population affected.
“HIV is an infection which can nowadays be treated and those diagnosed promptly can expect to experience similar life expectancy as an individual without the infection,” said Dr. Valerie Delpech, consultant epidemiologist and head of HIV surveillance at the HPA.
“However, we are very concerned that a large number of people in the UK are unaware of their HIV status and are diagnosed late. We want to see increased access to HIV testing routinely offered in clinical settings, such as new registrants at GPs and hospital general admissions, in areas of the country where rates of HIV infection are high.”
She added: “If you are having sex, using condoms with any new or concurrent partners is the best way to prevent HIV. We encourage all people to take up the offer of an HIV test in whatever health care setting.”
