Late Diagnosis in Parliament
posted: 05/02/2010
Watch a BBC video of a parliamentary debate about the late diagnosis of HIV in Westminster Hall held on Wednesday, which was led by David Borrow MP.
More than half the people diagnosed with HIV in the UK are being diagnosed late - seriously reducing their health and life expectancy.
NW England – the late diagnosis hotspot
The late diagnosis rate varies dramatically between PCTs in England, but NW England has the countries highest rate of late diagnosis. The figures can be distorted when the numbers diagnosed in some PCTs are very small, and North Lancashire has twice the national average rate (62% were late diagnosed), but the numbers diagnosed here are low.
Far more worrying is Manchester, because it has by far the largest number diagnosed every year in the region and last year it had the largest number daignosed late in the region last year, 54 out of 142 people: 38% diagnosed late. But this is next door to Manchester's twin city Salford, where just 23.9% were late (11 out of 46). It is difficult to understand how living on one side or the other of the River Irwell can make such a difference.
In the debate, Mr Borrow, who chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group on AIDS, also said many people with HIV were reluctant to inform their GP because of the stigma attached to the condition.
He said testing should become more routine, and that HIV awareness should be incorporated into medical training.
Health Minister Gillian Merron said the government was working to "normalise" HIV testing by making it more accessible through GPs and hospitals, and not just specialist sexual health clinics.
Late diagnosis to get earlier
Earlier this week we reported that the goalposts for late diagnosis are about to be moved so they are earlier. At present the definition for late diagnosis is when HIV is diagnosed when the CD4 count is 200 or below. It is now recommended that the late diagnosis threshold should be raised to a CD4 of 350 (by which point HIV treatment should normally be started), because it is clear that people's health and life prospects are worsened when treatment starts later than this.
Watch the video of the debate
Image source Photograph by Deryc Sands - parliamentary copyright - reproduced with the permission of Parliament
Late diagnosis report from Health Protection Agency, November 2009
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