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HIV cases rise in UK Kay Brennan Leeds The number of people in the United Kingdom infected with HIV is expected to rise by almost a half by 2005, according to the latest Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) projections. New estimates suggest that almost 34 000 people will be infected with the AIDS virus by 2005 compared with 23 000 in 2001, an increase of 47%. Cases of HIV reached a new high in 2001 with 3330 new diagnoses, up 17% against the previous year. Dr Barry Evans, head of the HIV and sexually transmitted infections division at the PHLS Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, said that he expected that the number of new cases dianosed last year would be well over 4000, as more of them are reported over the coming months. Gay and bisexual men overall remain the biggest risk group, with 1592 diagnoses in 2001. However, for the third year running diagnoses among heterosexuals exceeded diagnoses in gay men, with around 1750 heterosexuals being infected. Evans said, "There is a very worrying trend here--there is no doubt that new infections are occurring for a disease which we know how to prevent but for which we have no cure." Three quarters of new heterosexual diagnoses are acquired abroad, with the largest number being traced to immigrants from high risk areas coming into Britain, particularly from East Africa. Professionals and tourists who work or holiday abroad and have unprotected sex are also being infected. Tourists who have travelled to Jamaica have been warned about an upsurge of cases in London linked to that country. The latest figures are published in the PHLS journal, CDR Weekly. The PHLS is a national public body monitored by the government that aims to protect the population from infection. Dr Evans said, "The main message from these figures is that HIV is not going away." He said that the government's National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV "clearly... has a substantial and important job to do." The strategy, announced last year, aims to cut new cases of HIV by 25% by 2007. "The new figures are not all doom and gloom," said Evans. "To some extent some of the new diagnoses are in people infected years ago who are now coming forward, getting diagnosed and receiving treatment." Concerning the rise in heterosexual diagnoses he added, "In part this reflects initiatives to encourage heterosexuals, who may previously not have thought themselves at risk, to consider HIV testing."
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