The HIV action plan, to be unveiled on World Aids Day on Monday, aims to re-engage the thousands of people who have left HIV care, bringing them back to lifesaving treatment. The £170m package also includes funding for opt-out HIV testing at A&Es during routine blood tests in areas with the highest rates, including London and Manchester.
I thought the NHS was struggling to treat the people that WANT to be treated, without worrying about the ones that don't want to be treated?
A steady decrease in HIV diagnoses was recorded in England from 2005, but progress faltered during the pandemic, with testing disrupted and an increase in the number of new cases. As a result of new treatments, HIV is now a manageable condition.
Given the plethora of evidence around to show how to avoid infection, why is it rising? New ‘Britons’, perhaps.
There are also as many as one in 10 people living with diagnosed HIV who are not under medical care, according to a National AIDS Trust report published in September. The latest action plan aims to renew efforts to re-engage people with treatment and boost testing to ensure that transmissions continue to be pushed down.
Why do they need to be reengaged?
The Department for Health and Social Care said it would target its support towards the approximately 5,000 people living with HIV who had fallen out of medical care, for reasons including mental health issues, addiction, poverty and fear of judgment. Hospital staff in trusts where the opt-out scheme is in place will receive anti-stigma training, so patients can access care without fear of being judged for their HIV status.
So what demographic area are we focussing on here?
Prof Susan Hopkins, the chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, said the latest figures showed progress towards the 2030 target, with about 95% of those living with HIV now knowing they have the virus. “But about 4,700 people remain undiagnosed, including one in three in Black African communities and higher rates of late diagnosis in older age groups,” she said. “People need testing that meets them where they are, in ways that feel safe and accessible.”
I say we cut them loose, if they don't want to benefit from modern medical advances, that's their choicw.
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