HIV diagnoses fall
We will of course continue to work with the Department of Health and Social Care, UKHSA, NHS England and partners, to develop the next HIV Action Plan but it is hard to see how, without more funding, clinics can really turn the tide in transmission rates across all sections of our society.
Gillian McLauchlan
ADPH Spokesperson for sexual health
Earlier today, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) published the HIV surveillance data for 2024, which shows encouraging progress in ending HIV transmission, with new diagnoses falling by 4% across the UK from 3,169 in 2023 to 3,043 in 2024.
In response to the report, James Woolgar, Chair of the English HIV and Sexual Health Commissioners’ Group said:
“Today’s figures are very encouraging, particularly that the number of people tested across all sexual health services has increased by 3%. However, there is still a lot of work to do to reach the goal of zero new cases of HIV by 2030.
“As well as building on the success of innovations like home-testing, we need to make sure that tests, treatment and other services like PrEP are reaching everyone they need to, especially in the 15-24 age group which today’s report highlights as having the lowest treatment rates and a 7% fall in testing rates.”
Gillian McLauchlan, ADPH spokesperson for sexual health, added:
“Staff on the ground do an amazing job at providing support in a safe, non-judgemental environment. However, over the last decade, the Public Health Grant, which pays for local sexual health services, has been subject to cuts of over a quarter on a real-terms per person basis. At the same time, we have seen demand for sexual health services rise to an all time high.
“We will of course continue to work with the Department of Health and Social Care, UKHSA, NHS England and partners, to develop the next HIV Action Plan but it is hard to see how, without more funding, clinics can really turn the tide in transmission rates across all sections of our society.”