The potential role of frequent HIV testing in curbing the HIV epidemic among the MSM population has long been recognized. The introduction of the strategy of ‘opt-out’ testing in the UK (2007), as in other countries at around the same time, brought a steep rise in testing, followed by stabilization (McDaid & Hart (STIs); Saxton […]
Category: United Kingdom
Reported 86% effectiveness for MSM PrEP by PROUD study makes this intervention a viable option for UK health services
The Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections has recently taken place. At that event the UK PROUD (PRe-exposure Option for reducing HIV in the UK: immediate or Deferred) study of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for MSM reported its results, prior to publication in the coming months. The headline figure is an astonishing 86% for the reduction […]
Training for sexual health and HIV gets the online treatment
By Harriet Smith at Munro and Forster, on behalf of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV ( BASHH): A free and comprehensive online resource supporting specialist training in sexual health and HIV was launched today (22nd April) at the Second Joint Conference of BASHH with the British HIV Association. eHIV-STI, e-Learning for Sexual […]
Are the new Standards for Managing STIs a good thing?
This month`s journal sees a stirring editorial by Dr. Celia Skinner (1) in support of the new UK standards for the management of Sexually Transmitted Infections ( 2), published by the medical sexual health charity “MedFASH” in collaboration with all the major players in the field. Many would see such a document as being rather […]
Time to improve HIV testing and recording of HIV diagnosis in UK primary care – a response
Please see letter below from Surinder Singh in response to the article Richard Ma Time to improve HIV testing and recording of HIV diagnosis in UK primary care Sex Transm Infect 2009; 85: 486 http://sti.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/85/7/486 Richard Ma makes some excellent points in his editorial (1). I would like to ‘correct’ a misperception but add to […]
Chlamydia screening at the crossroads
As financial screws tighten, and a general election approaches, British clinical readers are expecting lean times ahead. Services for sexually transmitted infections (STI) are unlikely to get major billing in party manifestoes, and political support tends to be driven by committed individuals rather than public demand. These are particularly interesting times for England’s National Chlamydia […]