Sexual health

According to new figures from the Health Protection Agency, there were big increases in the rates of several sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2011.

Gay men and young heterosexual adults were the groups most likely to be diagnosed with an STI.

STIs can have unpleasant symptoms, but some have few obvious symptoms. If left untreated, some STIs can cause long-term damage to your health. Good sexual health is an important part of overall health and wellbeing.

For people with HIV, another factor to be aware of is that having an untreated STI can also make passing on HIV during sex more likely – even if you are taking HIV treatment and have an undetectable viral load.

Figures released last week showed that rates of several STIs increased significantly in 2011.

Cases of gonorrhoea increased by a quarter and syphilis diagnoses were up by 10%.

Doctors are especially concerned about the increase in cases of gonorrhoea. There are strains of the infection that are resistant to antibiotics, meaning that it is becoming increasingly hard to treat.

There were especially high rates of several infections in gay men. Compared to 2010, cases of gonorrhoea in gay men increased by 61% and syphilis diagnoses by a quarter.

Some of this increase is thought to be down to better testing and record keeping.

But the researchers think that the main reason for the high rates of these infections is unprotected sex. They highlight the ongoing epidemic of LGV (a severe form of chlamydia) in HIV-positive gay men.

Condoms, when properly used, are an excellent way of preventing STIs, HIV and unplanned pregnancy.

If you’re sexually active it’s a good idea to have regular sexual health check-ups. The Health Protection Agency recommends that men who have sex with men should have a sexual health check-up at least once a year and more often (every three months) if changing partners regularly.

In the UK, free and confidential sexual health check-ups are available through NHS clinics. You can attend a sexual health clinic (sometimes called a genitourinary medicine, or GUM, clinic) for testing and treatment and also to talk to staff in confidence about sexual health issues. Clinics can usually also provide you with free condoms. Visit our online database to find your nearest clinic: www.aidsmap.com/e-atlas.

For more information on sexual health, read our HIV & sex booklet.  

HIV and hepatitis C in gay men who inject drugs

Gay and bisexual men who inject drugs have much higher rates of HIV compared to heterosexual men who inject drugs, a new study shows.

Researchers found that gay and bisexual injecting drug users were four times more likely to have HIV compared to male heterosexual drug users. They also found that gay and bisexual men were about a third more likely to have hepatitis C.

HIV and hepatitis C are both blood-borne infections, meaning that sharing uncleaned injecting equipment can pass them on. HIV is also sexually transmitted, and there is an epidemic of sexually transmitted hepatitis C in HIV-positive gay men.

UK researchers monitored rates of HIV and hepatitis C in men who injected between 1998 and 2007.

They found that 3.2% of gay and bisexual men who injected drugs had HIV. This compared to a prevalence of below 1% in heterosexual men.

Prevalence of hepatitis C infection was also higher in gay and bisexual men compared to heterosexual males who injected drugs (43 vs 32%).

However, only 0.63% of gay and bisexual men and 0.43% of heterosexual men who injected drugs were co-infected with HIV and hepatitis C.

The researchers think that there should be more focus on the health needs of gay and bisexual men who inject drugs.

Visit our website for more information on Safer drug use.

Rapid CD4 cell test

A finger-prick test that can give a CD4 cell count in as little as 30 minutes has been shown to be as accurate as traditional laboratory testing and is “highly acceptable to patients”.

CD4 tests are a cornerstone of HIV care. Your CD4 cell count helps guide decisions about when to start HIV treatment, whether it is working, and the use of medicines to protect you from certain infections when your CD4 count is low.

Blood tests are used to monitor CD4 cell count. Results are normally available in a week to ten days.

But a rapid CD4 test that can give results when people are still in the clinic (called a point-of-care test) has been developed.

It’s most widely used in poorer countries where there is limited access to laboratory facilities.

Doctors wanted to see if the test also had a place in HIV care in the UK.

They therefore investigated the accuracy and acceptability of the test in a study involving 254 people who received care between 2010 and 2011.

The participants had their CD4 cell count monitored using both the rapid test and laboratory testing.

The results of these tests were very similar, meaning that the rapid test could be relied upon to guide decisions about HIV treatment and therapy to prevent other infections.

Results of the rapid test were available in about 30 minutes – the maximum wait was 45 minutes.

Most people (87%) said they would be happy to wait for 20 minutes for a test result. Over half (54%) reported that they preferred the rapid test.

To find out more about routine testing, read our CD4, viral load & other tests booklet.