HIV is on the rise in the North East – although many people still do not know they are carrying it.
New figures from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) show the number of people being treated for the virus has increased by 15 per cent – from 754 in 2005 to 868 in 2006.
Figures are rising most significantly among the heterosexual community.
Cha
rities today called for more investment into prevention and testing services to help to prevent the upward trend continuing.
Ewan Jenkins, regional manager of sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust in the North, said: "This report will make grim reading for local health services. If ever there was a case for investing more in HIV prevention and testing services, this is it."
The report also shows that by the end of June there were 124 new diagnoses of HIV in the region, although this figure is expected to rise when all reports for the year have been received.
By the end of June last year there had been 148 new HIV diagnoses reported for 2005.
The largest proportion of the 124 newly diagnosed HIV cases were a result of heterosexual contact, and the majority of these were likely to have been contracted abroad.
There were 42 cases transmitted as a result of sex between men, most of which were contracted in the UK.
Much smaller numbers were as a result of injecting drug use, blood, tissue or blood products transfer or mother to baby transmission.
Dr John Woodhouse, regional director of the HPA in the North East, said: "We know from our surveillance there are some groups in the community who are more at risk and it is important that we continue to discuss these figures so we can see where to target information and interventions.
"We also know that up to a third of all HIV positive people are unaware of their infection and will be unknowingly transmitting it to their sexual partners if they do not use condoms."
Despite the increase, the North East continues to have the lowest number of people being treated for HIV in England. In 2006, there were 52,083 people nationally receiving HIV-related health care.
Figures for other sexually transmitted infections, which were also included in the report, show the North East also saw increases in four of the most common STIs – chlamydia, syphilis, herpes and genital warts.
There was a reduction in the number of gonorrhoea cases.
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