North West HIV cases have increased in the past year

Dec 3 2009 by Antonia Merola, Chester Chronicle

THE number of people in the North West newly diagnosed with HIV has increased for another year, the Health Protection Agency has revealed.

There were 925 people newly diagnosed with HIV in 2008 – a rise on the 817 cases in 2007. Additionally, there has been an increase in the number of people with HIV accessing care with 5,472 in 2008 – a rise on the 4,936 people accessing care in 2007.

Professor Qutub Syed, director of the HPA in the North West, said: “It is encouraging more people with HIV infection are seeking treatment and care, but hugely disappointing that we are still seeing an increase in new cases.

“This would seem to imply more people are putting themselves and their partners at risk by failing to be careful.

“We and our partners at Liverpool John Moore’s University have tried hard to get across the message that unprotected sex with new or multiple partners and sharing of needles by drug users are high risk activities.”