Press Association
Wednesday July 28, 2004 8:53 AM
The UK's "hidden" HIV crisis and the need to tackle it is being highlighted by England's Chief Medical Officer.
Sir Liam Donaldson's annual report on the state of public health outlines the need for earlier detection of HIV, pointing out that a third of those infected are unaware of their condition.
The report shows that, worst of all, people who are eventually diagnosed as HIV positive have had their disease for an average of six years, giving them plenty of time to pass it on.
The report, which deals with a number of other key public health issues, says that more needs to be done to ensure that people who are infected with HIV are detected at an earlier stage so that they do not go on to infect other people.
It is estimated that 50,000 people in Britain are living with HIV.
The report follows figures from the Health Protection Agency which revealed that rates of sexually transmitted infections continued to rise last year - up by 4% in 2003.
But since 1995 the rate has increased by 57% - from 449,666 to 708,083 cases.
Sexual health campaigners blamed rising rates on increasingly risky sexual behaviour, especially among young people and gay men, and long waits for treatment at genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics.
Sir Liam's report offers a "new perspective" on five subject areas, analysing the effectiveness of current treatments and services.
It also describes Government action in these areas and identifies the action necessary to bring about improvement.
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