Charity calls for more HIV testing

People with costumes. Photograph: Mirto Tsavalou.

Transsexuals in silver dresses, acrobats and even dogs took part yesterday in a 10km “Walk for Life” to raise funds for HIV sufferers.
As many as 3,000 people from different backgrounds participated in the event organized by the Crusaid charity.
Recent statistics by the Health Protection Agency have shown that a total of 77,000 people in the UK are infected by HIV and more than half of those are in London. In addition, the Health Protection Agency says approximately 21,000 people infected do not know that they are HIV positive.
Doctors and health organisations have expressed concern about the small number of people getting tested for HIV. The Terrence Higgins Trust charity estimates that a total of 100,000 people in UK will be affected by the virus next year, while one in four of those will be undiagnosed.
From 1999 to 2008, London had the lowest increase in new HIV cases in the UK. But this does not mean that HIV infections have decreased and could imply that fewer people are getting tested.
The Government recently promised an extra £300 million fund so that genito-urinary medicine clinics (GUM) are modernised, but it has not said when this money will become available.
Katherine Sladden of the National Aids Trust (NAT) said the Government should prioritise HIV testing in clinics because this is the only way to stop HIV cases from increasing.

She added: “The Government has suggested that sex education should be compulsory in schools across the UK. It is really important to make sure that it gives the appropriate education to young gay men.”
According to a recent report by the Department of Health, 91 percent of people asked in 2000, said that they knew that they were at risk of being affected by HIV if they were not using condoms on a regular basis. In 2007, this rate fell to 79 percent.