NEW HIV diagnoses among heterosexual men and women in England have surged by over 30 per cent in the last two years, new data reveals.
Experts aren’t certain why cases are rising but suggest better access to testing may be a factor.
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It is the second consecutive year that heterosexual diagnoses of HIV have outpaced those among gay men.
Experts say this indicates that “more action” is needed to reduce new HIV diagnoses among heterosexuals.
Charities fear the aim of ending new cases of HIV in England by 2030 is now “at risk”.
The latest figures reveal that new diagnoses in England jumped by 15 per cent from 2022 to 2023, rising from 2,451 to 2,810.
Officials said they are working to “further explore the reasons for this rise in new diagnoses” but they could include the opt-out testing programme in emergency departments.
They said clinics not reporting some diagnoses which have been previously diagnosed abroad or underlying transmission.
For men exposed to HIV through sex with women, the number of new diagnoses first made in England rose by 36 per cent from 445 in 2022 to 605 in 2023.
It rose by 30 per cent from 602 to 780 among women exposed to the virus through sex with men.
The rise in cases was steepest for ethnic minority heterosexuals with a 45 per cent rise seen in this group compared to the previous year.
In 2022, heterosexual diagnoses of HIV surpassed those among gay men for the first time.
HIV diagnoses in England among men exposed through sex with other men rose by seven per cent, from 761 in 2022 to 811 in 2023.
Ethnic minority men experienced a seven per cent increase, while white men saw a three per cent rise.
Robbie Currie, chief executive at the National Aids Trust, said: “Although there is much to celebrate with HIV treatment and prevention, the latest published HIV data in England shows clearly that a continuing lack of equity and equality is standing in the way of people being able to live well with HIV, and puts the goal of ending new cases of HIV in this country at risk.
What is HIV?
HIV is a virus that damages the cells in your immune system and weakens your ability to fight everyday infections and disease.
An estimated 106,890 people are living with the condition in the UK.
In most cases, it spreads through unprotected sexual contact with an infected person.
Most people will experience flu-like symptoms two to six weeks after being infected.
This tends to include a sore throat, fever and a rash all over the body, which lasts one to two weeks.
After this, HIV may not cause any symptoms at all, but the virus continues to damage your immune system.
Some people go on to experience weight loss, night sweats, thrush in the mouth, an increase in herpes or cold sore outbreaks, swollen glands in the groin, neck or armpit, long-lasting diarrhoea, and tiredness.
While there is no cure for HIV, there are very effective treatments that enable most people with the virus to live long and healthy lives.
Medication now reduces the amount of the virus in the body to the point of being undetectable, meaning it cannot be transmitted.
“The UK Government must respond in full to the worsening disparities and trends that we see in this data, with a strategy, funding and action.”
Sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust said the goal of ending new cases by 2030 is “in jeopardy”.
‘Time is of the essence’
Chief executive Richard Angell said: “Today’s new figures show people from ethnic minorities face an increasing burden of HIV, with rising diagnoses and worse health outcomes than the population as a whole.
“Recent strong progress among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men seems to have stalled.
“And, almost across the board, the picture is worse for those living outside of London, where resources are most limited.
“Today’s figures are a call to action: we need innovation and new resources to address these health inequalities and reach the 2030 goal.
“Time is of the essence.”
‘Get tested’
Dr Tamara Djuretic, co-head of HIV at the UKHSA, said: “It is clear that more action is needed to curb new HIV transmissions, particularly among heterosexuals and ethnic minority groups.
“Addressing these widening inequalities, ramping up testing, improving access to PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and getting people started on HIV treatment earlier will all be crucial to achieving this.
“HIV can affect anyone, no matter your gender or sexual orientation, so please get regularly tested and use condoms to protect you and your partners’ health.
“An HIV test is free and provides access to HIV PrEP if needed. If you do test positive, treatment is so effective that you can expect to live a long, healthy life and you won’t pass HIV on to partners.”
Public health minister Andrew Gwynne said: “This data shows we have much more work to do and brings to light concerning inequalities in access to tests and treatments.
“I will be working across government to ensure that we work to stop HIV transmissions for good.
“Our new HIV Action Plan aims to end transmissions in England by 2030 with better prevention, testing and treatment.”
