2023-06-18 22:00:00
UK HIV/AIDS groups are urging their government to expand HIV and hepatitis testing to emergency rooms after a year-long trial found nearly 2,000 new cases, the site reports Pink News. As part of the HIV Action Plan, NHS England has invested £20 million for the period 2022-2025 to expand HIV and hepatitis testing in health services. emergency in cities with the highest HIV prevalence: London, Brighton, Manchester, Salford and Blackpool. According to data published on June 7, this expansion of testing has been extremely effective, identifying 1,998 cases of HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C in just twelve months. Offering testing in the emergency room also helped diagnose 470 people who were unknowingly living with HIV and gave them access to antiretroviral treatment. Not only has this strategy proven to be effective, but it is also believed to have saved the NHS millions through early diagnosis avoiding the need for emergency care. In addition, it can identify HIV transmission in lower priority groups or in people who have never attended a sexual health center. The results prompted health professionals, as well as HIV associations associated with the project, such as the Terrence Higgins Trust, the National Aids Trust and the Elton John Aids Foundation, to recommend that the government pursue the extension of the trial. Last February, UK Health Minister Neil O’Brien said he was considering expanding the system to the next 32 parts of the country with the highest HIV prevalence, at an estimated cost of at least £18 million. “Making widespread testing for HIV and hepatitis in emergency departments is essential to achieving our goal of ending new cases of HIV by 2030,” said Richard Angell, chief executive of the Terrence Higgins Trust. And the latter to drive the point home: “The results of a year of tests in areas where the prevalence of HIV is very high exceed all expectations and have demonstrated an incredible return on investment. With every passing day we miss opportunities to find more people with HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C in England and ensure they have access to the care they need.” According to data from the HIV Action Plan released by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) in December 2022, the estimated number of people living with undiagnosed HIV in England has fallen by more than a thousand between 2019 and 2021, from 5,600 to 4,400.
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