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Belonging and believing

HIV infections hit record high

Graphic of a red ribbon

HIV/AIDS epidemic

Human Immunodeficiency Virus(HIV) is an infection that if left untreated leads to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome(AIDS) that in turn often leads to death. By disabling the body's immune system the person with AIDS becomes vulnerable to a wide range of ailments that slowly destroy them. For the most part it is a sexually transmitted disease, although the interchange of body fluids through injecting drugs or transfusion of blood products can also be a means of infection.

Throughout the third world HIV/AIDS is devastating many countries, and the rate of infection in the UK continues to grow at an alarming rate. The theme in an article in the Guardian on 25th November 2008 HIV infections hit record high is on a "Call for wider testing as quarter remain unaware of infection." A reprort on HIV in the United Kingdom from the Heath Protection Agency in December 2008 shows that in the UK 77,400 people were living with HIV at the end of 2007. Of these 28% were unaware of their infection. Almost one in five with HIV suffer severe immunosuppression and are not on antiretroviral treatment. While antiretroviral drug therapy is stopping many from getting AIDS, the number of people with the HIV infection is rising more steeply each year and those infected will continue to need treatment because we have no cure yet.

However this not like a cold that you just get, it's a sexually transmitted disease so it's 100% avoidable. Yet the recent strong upward trend in HIV cases shows that the "safe sex" message is not working. The problem here is primarily of lifestyle choices that people make; casual sexual relations are not inevitable it's a choice that people make.

Dramatic increase in new HIV infections

The graph show the trends for heterosexuals, homosexuals, those Injecting drugs and others. Although the increase in infection rates for Homosexuals continues, the dramatic change is the increase in infection rates for heterosexual contacts. In 1991 the heterosexual infection rate was 600 but in 2006 it is 4,900 an increase of 716%. The only good news is that the rate has stabilised since 2003, with a much lower rate of increase.

Trends in HIV infection from 1991 to 2006

 

Source: National Statistics Table for fig 7.22

Downloadable chart: "Trends in HIV infection from 1991 to 2006"

The rates for those "Injecting drugs" and "Others" continues at a low level. While these infections are no doubt tragic events for those individuals, this is not where the main cause of HIV infections lies.

Fall in the number that develop AIDS

This chart look into how the relationship between HIV, AIDS and deaths from HIV/AIDS, by showing the trends in each over the period from 1993 to 2007. What we see is a big increase in HIV infection accompanied by a fall in both AIDS and deaths.

The availability of antiretroviral drug therapy was a big breakthrough, although it is not a cure. The effect on survival rates can be seen by the drop in the number of people diagnosed with AIDs. In 1995 there were 1,800 people diagnosed with AIDS and 1,700 deaths, however in 1998 this had dropped to 800 and 500 respectively.

HIV, AIDS and deaths from HIV

 

Source: Health Protection Agency HIV diagnoses Table 1

Downloadable chart: "HIV, AIDS and deaths from HIV"

The fact that there are an increasing number of people living with HIV, may also have an affect in the increase of HIV cases. As antiretroviral drug therapy is not a cure, those living with HIV still remain infective, and this may be a cause of the increase in infection rates.

Growth in HIV-infected people receiving care in the NHS

The bar chart shows the number of people being treated by the NHS for their HIV infections, over the period 1998 to 2007. This is not the total of HIV-infected people because it is estemated that 28% of HIV infections remain undiagnosed. On this basis an estimated 77,400 people in the UK were living with HIV at the end of 2007. What the graph does show is the number of people that the NHS has specific information on.

HIV-infected people in NHS care

 

Source: Health Protection Agency SOPHID table 1(xls)

Downloadable chart: "HIV-infected people in NHS care"

The chart shows a total 0f 17,911 being treated for HIV in 1998 and this has grown to 56,556 in 2007 with more men (37,256) than women (19,300) being treated. This shows a growth of 215% in 9 years, and the figure for 2007 was up 4,473 or 8.6% on 2006. Strong growth however you measure it.

Given there is no cure the list will keep growing and as the population of HIV infection grows so does its rate of growth. While being on antiretroviral treatment is better than not, most are on a combination of powerfull drugs that have to be monitored and changed as the infection mutates. The side effects of such powerfull drugs are many and in the long term these can be fatal. The hope for the future lies in the development of a cure, but we should bear in mind that we are still looking for a cure to the common cold.

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