People’s Guide to Police HIV Investigations
posted: 11/05/2011
NAT (National AIDS Trust) have just produced a guide for people living with HIV about how the police should investigate any complaints about HIV being passed on. The Police now have their own detailed guidance for doing these investigations.
This plain English leaflet is for people with HIV and it gives the key points and answers people’s common questions. It does not deal with Scotland where the law and legal system is different, so the guide is just for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Prosecutions are rare
Police investigations into reckless HIV transmission are uncommon. In 2009 around 6500 people found out they had got HIV but few people complain to the police about someone infecting them recklessly, and there was only one prosecution in 2010 and none at all in 2009.
Answers to common questions
The leaflet answers these common questions:
- What should I do if someone goes to the police (or threatens to) accusing me of giving them HIV?
- How much will the police know about HIV?
- Should the police investigate if the person complaining does not have HIV?
- When will police end the investigation?
- Will the police keep my HIV status confidential?
- Can the police see my medical records?
- Should the police comment to the media?
- What if the person accused is under 18?
Expert Guidance for Police and Prosecutors
The police now have their own national guidance to follow when investigating these unusual, complex and sensitive cases. The Crown Prosecution Service also has a guide about prosecuting these cases.
HIV organisations like NAT, George House Trust and Terrence Higgins Trust have worked hard with police and prosecutors to produce these guides to reduce as far as possible problems for people with HIV who may be accused.
The police guidance makes plain that all allegations should:
- be fairly investigated
- not be begun or continued if a successful prosecution is not considered realistic
- respect the dignity and confidentiality of people with and affected by HIV.
The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has approved ‘Investigation Guidance relating to the Criminal Transmission of HIV’ for the police.
This sets the standard for police investigations. Police will find the guidance very helpful; it is available on the national police information and training website ‘POLKA.’ The public can find a public copy on the NAT website.
Accused? Remember:
If you are accused of reckless or intentional HIV transmission, get immediate advice from a HIV voluntary organisation with experience in HIV prosecutions, or ring THT Direct (0845 12 21 200)
- Get legal advice when the police start to investigate
- Make sure the police know about and use the ACPO Investigation Guidance
- Get advice and support from a HIV voluntary organisation with experience in dealing with HIV prosecutions.
NAT Guide for people living with HIV on police investigations is at the bottom of this page.
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Gay, Positive, Herpes and LGV
posted: 25/02/2011
Gay men living with HIV who have herpes may find symptoms flare up worse and last longer. Preventive treatment can help prevent herpes flare ups.
Herpes also makes it much easier to pass on HIV (and other STIs) because it raises your viral load, and the blisters contain HIV and provide a way in and out for HIV.
Herpes leaflet for gay men
As well as that herpes leafte for gay men, there’s also a new detailed briefing about herpes for sexual health and HIV professionals from Sigma Research, produced for CHAPS, England's gay men's HIV prevention and sexuial health partnership.
LGV
LGV (lymphogranuloma venereum) is a much more uncommon sexually transmitted infection and, like herpes, it's one that gay men living with HIV are more likely to get. It’s caused by varieties of chlamydia bacteria.
LGV caused ulcers, like herpes and syphilis do, and these surface wounds are always a route in and out for HIV.
Having LGV also increases your HIV viral load and that makes passing on HIV more likely.
LGV leaflet for gay men
THT have more information about herpes, LGV and other STIs, on their new website for people living with HIV, My HIV
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HIV Teenagers to Adults
posted: 21/02/2011
Older teenagers with HIV are our HIV pioneers because they are the first generation of young people growing up with HIV. Being the first at anything is often exciting, but with HIV it can be much less fun and more of a struggle.
Making the change better
The Children and Young People HIV Network are working to make it easier to move from being a teenager with HIV to being an adult with HIV.
Young people with HIV have two main challenges
- growing up from a child to adult with HIV (e.g. beginnning sex and relationships with HIV)
- moving from children's HIV clinic and education, into adult HIV services and employment or claiming benefits with HIV.
The Children and Young People’s HIV Network have now finished checking all the expert articles and books about changing from child to adult with HIV in a ‘literature review’.
They looked to learn lessons about improving the change from child to adult, including learning from experience with other conditions like diabetes and epilespy.
The HIV child to adult change literature review is here
The review
- has statistics about young people with HIV in the UK
- finds existing policies and guidelines for the child to adult change
- looks for useful lessons from other longterm conditions, like diabetes
- considers the needs of carers and family
- considers rural areas with very low numbers of young people with HIV.
Professionals tell us
Last week we pointed out the useful article where HIV health workers describe helping teenagers to make the change from child to adult with HIV, which is in the 200th issue of HIVTreatment Update.
Teens talking life with HIV
Two young people making these changes talk about their own lives. JD Bailey (20, female) talks about growing up with HIV, and Max, (19, male) talks about telling others about HIV
‘Transition of care from a paediatric to adult setting is not specific to HIV … However there are important differences … with HIV which may make this process more difficult’ Lyall, 2007.
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Positive Teens to Adults
posted: 17/02/2011
Imagine being in your late teens living with HIV, having to swop the comfort and friendliness of the children’s HIV clinic for the strange unknown world of adult HIV services.
It’s tough enough being a teenager growing into adulthood, but with a stigmatised lifetime condition like HIV there are often extra challenges.
Older teenagers with HIV are learning to be pioneers and deserve our respect for that.
Health workers helping teenagers
Health professionals talk about helping teenagers with HIV make the change from teenager to adult and growing older with HIV in the 200th issue of HIVTreatment Update.
Teens talking life with HIV
Two young people making these changes talk about their lives. JD Bailey (20, female) talks about growing up with HIV, and Max, (19, male) talks about telling others about HIV.
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HIV Sperm Washing NorthWest
posted: 08/02/2011
Sperm washing for people with HIV is now available in North West England. Sperm washing cuts the risk of HIV transmission for couples who want a baby, when the male is living with HIV but his female partner is HIV negative. Sperm washing cuts the risk of passing HIV to the female partner and of the mother then passing HIV to the baby.
More information on sperm washing and HIV here
New sperm washing service in Liverpool
A Liverpool clinic now offers sperm washing and fertility services to people with HIV and other blood borne viruses.
People wanting sperm washing before now have had to travel around 200 miles to London.
Dr Chitra Babu (from the Hathersage Clinic at Manchester Royal Infirmary), has worked with the Greater Manchester Sexual Health Network to arrange in principle for funding to pay for this sperm washing, as a way of reducing the risk of HIV transmission.
HIV positive men with HIV negative partners who want to have children should both go together and talk with their HIV clinic about sperm washing and other ways to cut HIV transmission risks. Liverpool can also provide other fertility treatments – talk with your local HIV clinic.
Leaflet for patients and guidelines for clinics
Within the next couple of weeks there will be a leaflet for couples affected by HIV and guidelines for clinics, and we will then add these here.
Information Sessions - HIV and having a family
Positively UK are holding two HIV and Pregnancy information sessions at George House Trust:
Preconception and Pregnancy:
Saturday 19 February 2011
13:00 – 15:00
Delivery and After Care:
Saturday 19 March 2011
13:00 – 15:00
Both men and women are welcome to attend.
If you need a space for a child at the crèche, please book this in advance
For further information contact Jill Cooke at GHT on 0161 274 4499 or email her, or Angelina from Positively UK on 0207 713 0444 or email her
More information on HIV and pregnancy
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