‘1 in 8 gay men’ in London now living with HIV

1 in 8 gay men in London are now living with HIV, according to new figures released by Public Health England.

The study has revealed that there were 3,250 gay and bisexual men were diagnosed with the virus during 2013 – the highest annual figure on record.

In the UK, 1 in 17 gay men aged between 15 and 59 have the virus, with the figure peaking at 1 in 8 within the capital.

The National AIDS Trust’s chief executive, Deborah Gold, said that there is a “dangerous complacency” about HIV today.

“Rates of new infections among gay men show no signs of abating but funding for HIV prevention from local authorities is patchy and in many places non-existent.

“We are taking far too long to get new prevention options like PrEP2 to the gay men who need them. We lack a strategy for HIV across the UK and as a result there is no vision as to how to make progress. HIV is not over in the UK, and we must take action,” she said.

Public Health England’s findings also suggest that 16% of gay men who have the virus are currently undiagnosed.

Terrence Higgins Trust’s Cary James has called for people to get themselves tested to help combat the rise in transmission.

“National HIV Testing Week provides an opportune platform for this, so we’d encourage men to get behind the campaign and make a commitment to test,” he said.

Public Health England reported last month that new HIV diagnoses among gay men had hit a record high – read more here.

Star Trek actor Zachary Quinto recently criticised the LGBT community for being “complacent” about the spread of the virus – read more here.

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