THERE’S been an “alarming” increase in HIV infections among straight women, a new report warns.
It comes as sexual health services are “extremely stretched” and their funding has been “pared to the bone”, the Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) said.
As a result, the Government could struggle to meet its United Nations target of ‘ending AIDS‘ by achieving zero HIV transmissions by 2030 – with an interim target of slashing new diagnoses by 80 per cent by 2025.
HIV diagnoses have fallen among gay and bisexual men.
But other identified groups at risk are seeing an increase – and are being diagnosed concerningly late or don’t have access to testing, according to UKHSA data reviewed by the WEC.
MPs cited a concerning drop in HIV testing for young people, lack of access to tests, and decreased use of contraception among this cohort.
WEC chair and Labour MP Sarah Owen said: “Increases in HIV diagnoses among women are alarming.”
New diagnoses in men exposed to HIV through sex with men fell by 35 per cent between 2019 and 2024 – from 1,238 to 810.
But they rose by 17 per cent in men exposed through sex with women, rising from 540 to 634.
The biggest increase was among women exposed to HIV through sex with men, as infections rose by 26 per cent in the five year period – from 596 to 749.
Overall, new HIV diagnoses in men decreased by 14 per cent from 2,094 to 1,802.
Meanwhile, they increased in women by 33 per cent from 728 to 965, according to the UKHSA data cited in the report.
Diagnoses among White people decreased by 40 per cent between 2019 and 2024.
But they rose by 80 per cent in Black African communities and 40 per cent in Asian communities.
Ms Owen said: “With sexual health services stretched as they are, the Government will struggle to meet its adopted United Nations AIDS target of zero HIV transmissions by 2030.”
PrEP is a preventative-like daily pill given to people at risk of getting HIV at NHS sexual health clinics, such as men who have sex with men.
But the WEC said sexual health services are only spotting two-thirds of heterosexual men and women who need PrEP.
This may be people whose partner comes from a country with high rates of HIV, or people who have unprotected sex with people that do not know their HIV status, for example.
Symptoms of an HIV infection
HIV – which stands for human immunodeficiency virus – is a bug that weakens the immune system and increases the risk of serious illness.
This virus has been passed on between humans for many decades but was only identified in the early 80s, according to the Terrence Higgins Trust.
There’s currently no cure, but with treatment most people with HIV can live a long and healthy life and the virus can be rendered untransmittable.
AIDS stands for acquired immune deficiency syndrome. It’s the name for a collection of serious illnesses caused by the HIV virus.
In the UK, most people being treated for HIV do not develop AIDS.
Up to six weeks after getting HIV, most people experience a short illness called a seroconversion illness, which lasts one to two weeks.
The most common symptoms of seroconversion are:
- Sore throat
- Fever
- Swollen glands
- Muscle aches and tiredness
- Rash over the body
Seroconversion is a sign that the immune system is reacting to the presence of the virus in the body.
Afterwards, HIV testing will be able to detect antibodies from the virus.
What is HIV?
HIV is a virus that damages the cells in your immune system and weakens your ability to fight everyday infections and disease.
An estimated 113,500 people are living with the condition in the UK.
In most cases, it spreads through unprotected sexual contact with an infected person.
Most people will experience flu-like symptoms two to six weeks after being infected.
This tends to include a sore throat, fever and a rash all over the body, which lasts one to two weeks.
After this, HIV may not cause any symptoms at all, but the virus continues to damage your immune system.
Some people go on to experience weight loss, night sweats, thrush in the mouth, an increase in herpes or cold sore outbreaks, swollen glands in the groin, neck or armpit, long-lasting diarrhoea, and tiredness.
While there is no cure for HIV, there are very effective treatments that enable most people with the virus to live long and healthy lives.
Medication now reduces the amount of the virus in the body to the point of being undetectable, meaning it cannot be transmitted.
As HIV weakens someone’s immune system, they may experience signs of other illnesses:
- Weight loss
- Night sweats
- Thrush in the mouth
- An increase in herpes or cold sore outbreaks
- Swollen glands in the groin, neck or armpit
- Long-lasting diarrhoea
- Tiredness
But remember: people who don’t have HIV can also get any of these – they can be the signs of other illnesses.
A weakened immune system may leave someone more open to serious infections such as:
- Tuberculosis
- Pneumonia
- Some cancers
Seroconversion illness happens to most people shortly after infection.
It can be severe enough to put someone in hospital or so mild that it’s mistaken for something like flu.
If you do have HIV, your bodily fluids – blood, semen and vaginal or anal secretions – are very infectious in the first weeks and months after transmission.
However, once you’re on effective treatment and your viral load becomes undetectable you can’t pass on HIV.
It can take up to six months from starting treatment to become undetectable.
WEC’s recommendations
WEC recommended expanding the emergency department opt-out testing programme for HIV in areas where infections are known to be high.
Testing should also be offered in GP practices, abortion clinics, women’s health hubs, cervical screening centres and sexual health clinics – including during reproductive health appointments.
The report warned that additional sexual health funding would be needed to support more testing.
But given how expensive late HIV diagnoses are to the NHS, funding for a community testing programme would save the health service money in the long term, report authors argued.
WEC called on the Government to include steps on how to increase access to PrEP in its forthcoming HIV action plan.
It suggested that PrEP be dished out in pharmacies and digitally, “to help address unacceptable delays and challenges” in accessing the medicine.
Ms Owen added: “Meeting the 2030 target requires focus on testing and improved access to PrEP, yet we know that people are struggling to access it, particularly if they live outside of major cities.”
She added: “Given the high cost to the NHS of late diagnosis, a fully resourced opt-out community testing programme in areas of high prevalence would represent a significant long-term saving.
“It should be introduced as soon as possible.”
It comes as the NHS prepares to offer people in England and Wales at higher risk of HIV a long-acting injection to prevent it, to be given every other month.
Ms Owen said: “The roll out of injectable PrEP has the potential to be a huge step forwards in the battle against HIV.
“We urge it to be made available to vulnerable people, particularly women who may face barriers in accessing daily tablets.”
