Leading sexual health charity says England can be the first country in the developed world to turn the tide of HIV infection.
Terrence Higgins Trust (THT), the UK’s leading HIV and sexual health charity, has outlined how England has a ‘once in a generation’ opportunity to turn the tide of its HIV epidemic by 2020, making it the first country in the developed world to do so.
Three Hundred HIV experts met in London last week to hear THT and the HIV Prevention England partnership launch their joint paper 2020 Vision: making England’s HIV prevention response the best in the world.
The paper outlines for the first time a series of hard targets the nation can aim for to slash new infection rates within the next five years.
These targets include:
- A 125% increase in the number of HIV tests undertaken each year by people at greatest risk (an extra 250,000 tests a year)
- A 50% reduction in the number of people with undiagnosed HIV (10,000 people)
- 75% of all people with HIV to be on HIV treatment and uninfectious
If these targets are met within the next five years, the partnership estimates that by 2020 the number of new HIV infections in England would be slashed by one-third, from around 6,000 cases to 4,000 cases each year, saving the public purse an estimated £560million a year in HIV treatment costs.
Paul Ward, Acting Chief Executive at Terrence Higgins Trust, said: “England is now at a tipping point in its fight against HIV. Thanks to the NHS, we already lead the world in ensuring people with HIV are on treatment and uninfectious. Driving down undiagnosed infection is the final piece of the puzzle. With around two-thirds of new infections passed on by people who don’t know their status, the more people we test and treat, the fewer lives will be damaged by this entirely preventable virus.
“All that is needed to achieve this vision is an extra £20million a year investment in coordinated HIV testing programmes; a tiny fraction of the public health budget. There is no other health area where, for this size of investment, the State could bring a serious health condition under control.”
Dr Valerie Delpech, head of HIV surveillance at Public Health England, added: “There are now more than 100,000 people living with HIV in the UK, and around one in five remain undiagnosed. These individuals are more likely to present with advanced infection, and to pass on the virus. It is vital we invest in HIV prevention, to address the social and structural barriers that mean too many people are currently not getting tested, and reduce new HIV infections across the UK.”
HIV Prevention England is a partnership of community organisations headed by Terrence Higgins Trust and funded by the Department of Health to carry out national HIV prevention work in England among communities at an increased risk of infection.
To download: 2020 Vision: making England’s HIV prevention response the best in the world, CLICK HERE:
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