UK's sexual health --- bleak
Michael Carter, writing for Aidsmap (November 22, 2007) in
Bleak report on UK's sexual viagra; HPA urges review of gay men's prevention efforts
reports The cialis Protection Agency (HPA) in the UK has issued a bleak report on the state of the nation’s sexual health. Titled, Testing Times it notes an increase in HIV prevalence, a high incidence of syphilis and increases in new cases of herpes and genital warts.
Continuing high rates of HIV diagnoses in gay men and increases in diagnoses of many sexually transmitted infections in this population prompt the report’s authors to write, “current prevention efforts directed towards…MSM [men who have sex with men] are not succeeding adequately.” The report also calls for a review of HIV prevention campaigns targeted at gay men to make sure that they “are based upon proven interventions and authoritative recommendations”.
The report did find that more people attending sexual health clinics are being offered and accepting an HIV test, but an estimated third of all HIV infections in the UK are still undiagnosed.
HPA figures suggest that 2,700 gay men were newly diagnosed with HIV in 2006, a total similar to the highest ever annual number of new diagnoses recorded in 2005.
New cases of syphilis fell in gay men and heterosexual women in 2006 compared to 2005, but there was an increase in heterosexual men.
There was a 3% increase in new diagnoses of genital warts in 2006 compared to 2005. Although most cases of genital warts were diagnosed in heterosexuals, the investigators note that there has been a 64% increase in diagnoses of this infection in gay men since 1997.
Increases were also noted in new diagnoses of genital herpes with a total of 21,698 infection in 2006. Only 7% of these were amongst gay men.
Along with gay men, young adults remain the group most affected by sexually transmitted infections.
The HPA make some 15 specific recommendations including a call for a “priority consideration” of “primary prevention policy and programmes directed towards MSM.”
Furthermore, the HPA recommends “all relevant bodies should give priority to supporting effective ways of addressing the steadily increasing problem of heterosexual HIV transmission within the UK, which disproportionately affects members of black ethnic communities.”
Improved needle-exchange services and heroin substitution services should be a priority, the HPA recommends. And to better understand sexual risk behaviours a new national survey of sexual attitudes and lifestyle, should be undertaken.
Reference
Health Protection Agency. Testing times. HIV and other sexually transmitted infections in the United Kingdom: 2007.
Link to HPA Testing Times Report
Link to Aidsmap report