Over a quarter of all HIV cases in the UK are undiagnosed, according to figures released from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) today. These figures also showed that by the end of 2003 there had been an estimated 57,000 cases of HIV in the UK.
Undiagnosed HIV infection is a major concern for doctors in the UK, and the HPA estimates that over 14,500 people are infected with HIV without knowing it. The HPA also believes that in 2003 a record 7,000 people were newly diagnosed with HIV in the UK. So far 6,606 infections have been reported, but this figure is expected to increase as late reports come in.
Although the majority of new infections (58%, 3,801 infections) in 2003 were amongst heterosexuals, the HPA is stressing that this is largely due to migration from countries with a high HIV prevalence, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa.
Gay men still account for the overwhelming majority of infections acquired in the UK. In 2003, over 1,700 gay men were diagnosed with HIV, the highest figure for over ten years. Just 341 heterosexuals acquired HIV due to sex between a man and woman in the UK in 2003, nevertheless, the HPA stresses that this level of diagnoses is more than twice the level reported six years ago when only 139 cases of heterosexual transmission of HIV occurred in the UK.
Reflecting trends in the UNAIDS statistics, published earlier this week and reported on aidsmap.com, the HPA figures show that women are bearing the brunt of new heterosexual infections in the UK. In total just under 2,500 women were diagnosed with HIV in the UK in 2003, two-thirds of all heterosexual infections.
Timed to coincide with the release of the HPA figures, the UK government announced £300 million of new money to tackle what is widely perceived to be a "sexual health crisis" in the UK. Almost half the money, £130 million will go towards the modernisation of sexual health clinics and £50 million will be spent on a national advertising campaign aimed at 16-25 year olds to raise awareness of sexual health and sexually transmitted infections.