HIV testing rates down in Northumberland

HIV testing has fallen nationally over the last few years.

HIV testing rates in Northumberland were below pre-pandemic levels for the second year running in 2021, new figures show.

Every year, thousands of people in the UK are infected with HIV, a disease which attacks the immune system.

Thanks to advances in medicine, those who receive treatment in time can expect the same quality of life as anyone else – so the NHS advises anyone who thinks they may have HIV to get tested as soon as possible.

Figures from the UK Health Security Agency show 2,384 patients in Northumberland were tested for HIV in 2021, equivalent to 60.5% of those eligible.

This was lower than before the pandemic – in 2019, 64.7% were tested – but a rise from 2020, when 33.8% of eligible patients received a test.

HIV testing coverage has stayed at 45.8% nationally for the last two years, a significant decline on 64.9% in 2019.

The Terrence Higgins Trust said it welcomed new developments in HIV testing – such as the ability to order tests online, and including HIV screening in blood tests at A&E – but that the gulf in testing between different groups needs to be "urgently addressed".

Across the North East, 85 new cases of HIV were diagnosed last year, including five in Northumberland.

Regionally, this was a decrease from the 101 cases registered in 2019, although this may partly be explained by lower rates of testing.

Across England, there was also a slight uptick in the proportion of diagnoses being made in the later stages of the infection, when it can be more difficult to treat – increasing to 45.8% in 2021 from 44.1% year-on-year.