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Safe-sex boost urged as HIV rises in UK

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"It's clear the safer sex message is not getting through"
Published Date: 24 November 2007
By LYNDSAY MOSS
HEALTH CORRESPONDENT
MORE than 73,000 people are now living with HIV in the UK - which has one of the highest rates of the disease in Europe, experts warned yesterday.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said a third of the estimated number of people with HIV did not even know they were infected.

Its report, which collected data from across the UK, also revealed rising rates of sexually transmitted infections (S
TIs) among young people.

Campaigners called for greater efforts to promote safe sex messages.

The HPA's report said 7,800 cases of HIV were expected to be recorded for 2006, including almost 300 cases in Scotland.

Dr Valerie Delpech, head of HIV surveillance, said they were still seeing high levels of HIV among gay men, accounting for 2,700 new cases.

Cases acquired in Africa fell to 3,450 compared with 3,700 the previous year. But cases spread among heterosexuals in the UK are rising, with 750 cases last year up from 700 in 2006.

Professor Peter Borriello, the director of HPA's Centre for Infections, said there was a need to reinforce the safe-sex message among gay men, young adults and the public generally.

"We recommend that gay men should have regular HIV tests, STI clinic attendees should be tested for HIV at every visit, and young sexually active adults should be screened for chlamydia annually," he said.

Overall in the UK, new diagnoses of all STIs increased by 2.2 per cent in a year to 376,508.

In 2006, there were 113,585 cases of chlamydia diagnosed with genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics - most among 16 to 24-year-olds, and up 4 per cent in a year. In Scotland, cases of chlamydia have risen from 3,699 in 1997 to 17,926 in 2006.

Meanwhile, figures from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control revealed that last year there were 149 new cases of HIV per million people in the UK - one of the highest rates in Europe. Only Estonia, with 504 new cases per million, and Portugal, with 205 cases, had higher rates than the UK.

Susan Macdonald, of sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust Scotland, said: "Despite our best efforts and those of hard-pressed clinics, it is clear HIV is on the increase and the safer-sex message is not getting through. We need increased investment in HIV prevention, stronger national leadership, and stronger safer-sex messages."

Rebecca Findlay, of the Family Planning Association, said: "Sex and relationships education needs to become statutory so young people in Scotland can make informed decisions about their sexual health."

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "We know that rates of STIs are continuing to rise... That is why the Scottish Government and NHS boards are taking forward a range of work to promote safer sex and drive down rates of STIs and unwanted pregnancies."



The full article contains 485 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 23 November 2007 10:41 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Sex education , HIV and AIDS
 
1

Charles Linskaill,

Chairman for the 'Babies-Union' 24/11/2007 02:13:26

Yes and teach 12year old girls, they are 'SAFE', because you give them the 'jab' for sexually related cancer!!
NOT A GOOD MOVE!!
And DONT say that's 'Rubbish'
MARK MY WORDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WE ARE IN FOR 'TROUBLE' REAL 'TROUBLE'
And its because the 'MUPPET-SHOW' made mistakes'
'BIG-MISTAKES'!!!!!

2

Charles Linskaill,

Edinburgh 24/11/2007 02:18:58

"73,000 people are now living with HIV in the UK"
...
Try the figure, 730,000, in 15years time, if you don't stop, 'Stupid Policy' making and 'False-Hopes'!

3

Jock MacTamson,

Highlands 24/11/2007 09:29:17

It seems quiet simplet to me. In the UK we are soo uptight about sexual matters that we cannot even teach our children and the results are there for exeryone to see. Teenage Pregnacy, Abortions and STD at the highest levels in Europe.

We keep coming back to the argument of telling the kids nothing. That should fix the issue. It is our attitudes to sex as the older generation that is the problem.

In europe they do it differently with massively better results. The statistics are there for everyone to see.

Why can we not copy the European model on the subject to see if this yeilds improved results. Why do the Religious and Polictical people keep coming back to Abstaina and "Just say Know". Nature does not allow such a luxury.

Sex is how we all got here so the sooner uptight people with issues and agenda's stop calling the shots on a perfectly normal part of life the better.

Religion and Politics have never been particularly good at dealing with the subject yet they both time and time again are caught for lies and hipocracy.

Teach teenagers the facts, show them pictures of STD's, tell them about condoms, babies and actions that may have a life time affect on them. Don't tell them do not have sex because we did and they will to.

4

Tomaggs,

here 24/11/2007 12:02:45

As a condom distributor, I am not allowed to issue condoms to under 13's. Most 12-14 yr olds only need condoms so that they can get used to handling them and can practice putting them on a demonstrator (or boys can use them on their own). This is better than reaching the age/stage of needing to use a condom and not using one as they don't know how to. I am also expected to report anyone under the age of 16 who wants condoms.

Last week my 23 year old daughter and her partner had their much wanted baby. During the short 6 hours new mums are allowed to remain in hospital, we saw two new mums leave with their babies - one mum was 12 and the other was 15!

I know the argument that says issuing condoms to under age young people is tantamount to encouraging them to have sex, but we do talk to them about the law and the biological reasons for waiting until they are at least 16. Condom machines in toilets do not do that and young people can access those freely.

How can one prevent 12 and 15 from having babies, if we do not give them condoms and advice. I have been asked by a parent to issue her 12 year old with condoms as the parent knew she was having sex and was worried about pregnancy and aids. She hads tried to stop her daughter but had found it impossible, so was trying to keep her safe. I had to refer her to a gum clinic or a toilet machine.

#3 you got it right Jock
"Just say no". Nature does not allow such a luxury.

young people DO get carried away, whether alcohol or passion is culprit, no is often the last word in their heads.

Jennifer - you are also correct, young people have been taught to do and say whatever they want and WILL make their own decisions, as you say, teenagers KNOW EVERYTHING, while having the blinkered attitude that, "it won't happen to me"

5

Homo Sapiens,

24/11/2007 12:26:08

It was proven that male circumcision reduces the probability of contamination in male-female relationship by more than 60%, as it removes the "wet" membrane which allows an easy passage of the HIV from the female to the male.

In Sawaziland and other African countries, mass circumcision programs have already shown results in the decline in number of new people infected with HIV.

It also was proven that circumcision in males also reduces the number of women suffering from cervical cancer, and there is a dramatic decrease in the number of women infected with HPV (Human Papiloma Virus) which is the primary cause for cervical and uteral cancer.

Circumscision also has other advantages, as I discovered to my and my partners' joy!

6

Caora Dubh,

Croit sheasgair 24/11/2007 19:00:57

#7 Boswell: Yes. The reasons why the annual incidence of HIV is so high in the UK are undoubtedly complex. But if you look at the 7800 new cases expected, cases acquired in Africa account for 3450 of them, and 2700 are among gay men. The article doesn't consider overlaps between groups, and the figures are merely estimates. Nevertheless 79% of all new cases are occurring in just two groups. People visiting Africa during the year and gays are both very small groups compared with the population at large. There is an urban legend that 10% of men are gay, but the true figure is much closer to 3%, or 1.5% of the UK population. The people-visiting-Africa-during-the-year group is a tiny percentage of the UK population, something like 0.5%. Thus 79% of new infections are occurring in about 2% of the UK's population, while 21% are occurring in the remaining 98% of the population, and probably most of these are in drug addicts and prostitutes. The rate of infection among people-visiting-Africa and gay men together is about 184 times greater than that for the rest of the population. Are these people incapable of using condoms? Perhaps they don't understand English?

7

Emma Roebuck,

Co Durham 25/11/2007 12:09:31

Caora Dubh
'There is an urban legend that 10% of men are gay, but the true figure is much closer to 3%, or 1.5% of the UK population'
I know this comes away from the debate but I must take up the Gay men population figures ...

the Governements own stats on gay Comunity state 7% and that comes from then 2001 census figures of gay couples in long term relationships so where are the figures of the singles in there. I know the temptation is to say I cant see the LGBT community so they are there... But you must ask why you cannnot see ? Is it because the stigmatisation of the Gay community is such that fear or desire to be 'out' exists . I work for a LGBT Charity who work in the sexual health field. The fact is that the majority of HIV cases contracted in the UK are Gay men or men who sleep with men and Government targets in sexual do not reflect this and thus funding is not ring fenced and young Gay men are not seen as priority and money put into heterosexist projects such as chlamydia screening for under 25s. Schools are terrified of talking about sex so gay relationships then become even more taboo.
For Caora to be so flippant about about Condoms and africa is insulting. The fact is availability of condoms in europe is patchwork at best. Visit Gran canaria and try to buy a condom? expensive , no safety marks sell by dates etc, so what chance in Africa when religious restriction or dogma states condoms forbid their use....
Sweeping statements solve nothing. Genuine action and an Holistic approach to sexual health work.

8

Dougie - Edinburgh,

25/11/2007 15:32:40

#8
British people travelling to Africa are a high risk group but most of the "cases acquired in Africa" from above are actually Africans who have come to Britain, often to make use of the NHS since AIDs patients don’t get deported.

"70% of individuals diagnosed with HIV, TB and malaria in England, Wales and Northern Ireland were non-UK born. "

http://www.aidsmap.com/en/news/0933C657-2890-44F1-817A-19...

In Scotland, the ratio of Africans is less but still, half of heterosexually transmitted HIV in Scotland comes directly from Africa:

http://www.documents.hps.scot.nhs.uk/ewr/pdf2006/0642.pdf


 

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