Posts
With the launch of Public Health
England, the UK Department of Health has prioritized a new framework for sexual
health that focuses on increased HIV testing for high-risk groups and “greater
efforts to prevent STIs and HIV.” The launch of the new framework coincides
with £1.2 million in cuts for the Pan-London HIV Prevention Programme; the cuts
eliminate more than half of funding for city-wide HIV prevention efforts. The
Health Protection Agency reported a record number of HIV diagnoses among gay
and bisexual men in 2011.
Sir Nick Partridge, chief executive
of Terrence Higgins Trust, UK’s largest sexual health and HIV nonprofit
organization, welcomed the new focus on sexual health. However, Partridge
stated that the framework should include increased HIV prevention for high-risk
populations, expansion of community-based services, and updated sexual health
education. In addition to lower funding for London programs, HIV funding also
has been cut up to 10 percent for other UK cities.
Public Health Minister Anna Soubry
urged the country to adopt an attitude that would allow people to make
“informed decisions” without stigma, coercion, and abuse. Soubry noted that
local councils will be responsible for commissioning sexual health services
beginning April 1. Improving sexual health—lowering incidence of STIs,
increasing access to contraception, and reducing unwanted pregnancies in
communities—will require concerted efforts from the councils and Public Health
England.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
