New cases of HIV being diagnosed in the UK remain high
Data
published by the Health Protection Agency shows that new cases of HIV being diagnosed in the UK remain high.
There were 5,560 new cases diagnosed in 2005, and this figure is expected
to rise to 7,750 when late reports for the year come in. In 2004 there
were 7,181 new HIV cases reported.
Valerie Delpech, from the Health Protection Agencies HIV department said
that homosexual men remain at the highest risk of acquiring HIV, with
evidence that transmission is continuing at a substantial rate. However
she noted that a higher rate of HIV testing within this group of people
is likely to have contributed to the rise in the number of new diagnoses.
The HPA predicts that the number of new HIV diagnoses among heterosexual
men and women will remain high but relatively stable with the number
of diagnoses expected to be 4,392 for 2005 compared with 4,347 in 2004.
Diagnoses among injected drug users are expected to increase to 182 new
cases, compared with 131 cases in 2004. However, the HPA estimates that
a high proportion of people remain unaware of their infection.
|
Hospital Pharmacist