[National AIDS Trust press release]

Nearly half (46%) of the general public wrongly think you can get HIV from being bitten, spat at or coming into contact with a discarded needle and underestimate the impact unsafe sex has on HIV transmission, a new survey[1] shows (14 Jan) .

The quiz taken by 12,000 members of the public around World AIDS Day was created by NAT to explore and challenge people’s perceptions about HIV in the UK. It also revealed only 39% of people realise that over 90% of HIV infections in the UK are from unsafe sex.

Chief Executive of the National AIDS Trust (NAT), Deborah Jack comments: “We often read stories in the media about people having to take HIV tests after being spat at, bit or stepping on a needle in a park, however the risk from these activities in either non-existent or incredibly low.

“Misinformation about how you can contract HIV leads to anxiety and feeds stigma and discrimination towards people living with the disease. This stigma can be incredibly damaging. It is also an immense distraction from the overwhelming risk factor for HIV in the UK – unsafe sex.”

The quiz also discovered the public think HIV was a bigger problem in the 80s and 90s than in the present day, with 45% believing the highest number of gay men diagnosed in a single year was in the 80s or 90s, however it was actually 2011.

Deborah Jack continues:” It is a common misconception that HIV is a problem of the past. In fact the number of people living with HIV in the UK hit 96,000 in 2011, with 6,280 new diagnoses that year.  As a matter of urgency the Government needs to put resources behind educating people that HIV hasn’t gone away, it is more prevalent than ever and safer sex is vital to reduce HIV transmission.”

The data contained in the press release was taken from an online quiz available at www.hivawarequiz.org.uk, created and publicised by NAT, running from 26 November 2012 to 14 December 2012. For further information please contact

[1] Are you HIV Aware Quiz question 11 ‘In the last year, how many people were infected with HIV through being bitten, spat at or coming into contact with a discarded needle?’ 46% of people answered between 16-226. The actual answer was none.

During the week, we’re teaming up with other organisations in England to encourage gay men and African people to take an HIV test. These are the people most at risk of getting HIV. Across England, partner organisations will offer more opportunities to test, both in clinics and in the community.

Why? The week aims to:

• Increase the numbers of gay men and African people taking an HIV test
• Raise awareness in the gay and African communities of the importance of testing
• Increase the number of opportunities to take a test at clinics and in the community

These aims will help to reduce the number of people who are diagnosed late with HIV. Early diagnosis helps people to manage their HIV and also reduces the risk of passing it on to other people. Terrence Higgins Trust

Our partners at Saving Lives are launching the ‘Saving Lives Avengers’ campaign to mark the event. You can learn more – and order free posters! – here

FPA Sexual Health Week informs the public, influences service providers and supports health professionals. says the charity – and that sounds good to us!

There’s no better week to get yourself a sexual health MOT. Make sure everything’s ticking over as it should, and that you’re as healthy as possible.

Sexual health MOTs are available at all of our clinics. You can read more here.

Many of those seeking help have become newly single through divorce, separation, or the death of their partners and have started new sexual relationships without using condoms. Others are women who have gone through the menopause who do not see the need for protection while older adult men believe condom use worsens their erectile dysfunction.

Dr Kaveh Manavi, Consultant physician and HIV Service Lead for University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the clinic, said:

Many older adults believe that they are not at risk of STI. The common mis-belief that older adults do not engage in sexual activities adds to the stigma and means people do not seek help early enough.”

He said many older adults found it difficult to approach the clinic.

Concerns about discussing their problems with a doctor of the opposite sex, thinking that their doctors may judge them if they know about their sexual history, and a belief that people should not have sex after a certain age, have been identified as the most common reasons.

Lack of knowledge about STI and HIV also leads some of the older adults to relate their genital problems and symptoms to “normal ageing” preventing them from seeking medical advice.”

Latest data from the Student British Medical Journal reveals STIs in 50-90 year olds have doubled in the past ten years. Some 80% of 50-90 years olds are sexually active. There has also been an increase in cases of HIV with those aged 50 and over accounting for 20% of adults accessing HIV care, an 82% increase on figures from 2001. This may be down to HIV patients living longer but new diagnoses of HIV in the over 50s have doubled between 2000 and 2009.

A contributory factor is believed to be that over-50s compose the fastest-growing demographics for those who use online dating.

We know that a significantly higher proportion of older adults infected with STI and HIV are diagnosed late,” said Dr Manavi. “It is therefore important for people in this age range to follow the same advice for STI as for younger adults: use a condom in all sexual encounters and get tested for STI and HIV regularly.

Dr Steve Taylor Media Representative for the British Association of Sexual Health and HIV  (BASHH) and Sexual Health and HIV Consultant at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital said

Clinics all over the country have seen increases in STIs and HIV in the over 50’s in recent years.

We have also seen many over 50’s presenting very late with HIV as neither they nor their doctors attribute their symptoms to HIV.”

We really have got to keep sexual health and HIV awareness in the public consciousness  and encourage testing for STI’s and HIV in all sexually active people both young and old  if they have had unprotected sexual contact with new partners.”

Further information on sexual Health and HIV can be found on this site and www.savinglivesuk.com

It is the first time doctors from the UK will consult in this way with clinicians in the region hit hardest by China’s HIV epidemic.

The Infectious Disease Microbiology and Virology experts will discuss two HIV patient cases – one from Birmingham and one from Henan Province, China.

The teleconference is the culmination of two years’ work by colleagues in the UK and China, who first met in a high-level delegation to Heartlands Hospital by Henan Province’s Health Bureau in 2010.