Features
| LATEST NEWS |  | | | | | A selection of our top news stories. | | COLCHESTER UNITED NEWS | | | Latest news from Colchester United. | | The best of what's on in Colchester, with Gazette ents reporter Neil Jones. | | FEATURES | | | |
|
|
|
The biggest threat to HIV growth in Essex is from... binge drinking
 |
| World Aids Day 2007 the fight goes on. Courtesy of Unicef |
AIDS and HIV have become a bit of a Catch 22.
In the UK at least, our fear of both disease and virus has diminished. The stigma isn't as great and the treatments just get better. That, though, has made us complacent and with that complacency comes problems.
Today, it is difficult to imagine the global sense of panic, fear and prejudice precipitated by the lack of knowledge, early misconceptions about transmission and the absence of effective treatments when, in the 1980s, experts predicted Aids would be the "mass killer" of the 20th century.
Cue public information videos with their gothic tombstones and apocalyptic voice-overs. That more people in the UK died from flu than from Aids worldwide eventually made the majority see sense and get some proportion. Now, though, Krishna Ramkhelawon thinks we are losing that middle gound - and it has nothing to do with the latest figures.
Last year an estimated 6,840 new HIV cases* were reported in the UK, and the Health Protection Agency warned that "the prevalence of HIV in north-east Essex (Colchester and Tendring, population 320,000) has risen".
Mr Ramkhelawon, while more than a little concerned about today's attitude towards Aids and HIV, refuses to look at this latest infomation at face value.
He is assistant director of public health with North East Essex Primary Care Trust (PCT).
As he pointed out, the breakdown of new cases does not go as far as putting a figure on those in north Essex, but, if the East of England figures are anything to go by, rather than a rise, there should be a drop.
"In 1998 there were 98 new cases of HIV in the east of England. In 2007, there were 424 cases. This seems to show an increase in cases, but you have to look at both the data and the detection rates," he said.
"Since 2002, there has been much more money invested in detection and our PCT in particular is now more pro-active in that area, so, thanks to a better detection rate, the figures are rising."
Which does not necessarily mean the virus itself is claiming more victims. In real terms, Mr Ramkhelawon believes there has been a 21 per cent drop in people contracting the virus in the east of England. He hopes that means there will be a drop in north-east Essex, too.
"There is also the influence of the UK's immigration policy which allows migration from eastern European and African countries," he said. "We could have people coming into the UK who are already HIV positive."
This means the virus has been "brought in" and is affecting domestic figures, but HIV is still out there, it is still easy to get and, while new drugs mean the virus can be contained, there is no guarantee it will not turn into Aids and destroy the carrier's immune system.
There is no cure, so health posters are still urging young people to have safe sex. Mr Ramkhelawon thinks it is not safe enough.
"What can affect the HIV figures in the future? I would say the real problem is binge drinking," he said.
Those who drink so much they cannot remember where they are, are not going to remember to use condoms if they have sex. In fact, they probably won't even remember they have had sex or with how many people.
"They could have multiple partners and not take precautions," he said. "For us to move forward in our attitudes to sexual health, we cannot ignore that this poses a problem.
"But it isn't just binge drinking here. It is happening abroad, too. Holidays are cheaper and so is the drink. I would say there are more risks abroad than there would be here, but that does not alter the fact that binge drinking is a real concern wherever it happens."
Safe sex just doesn't figure; the repercussions could take years to emerge.
"Everyone's body responds differently to HIV," said Mr Ramkhelawon. "Unless the person has had a test for HIV, the virus could incubate for up to six months and then it could be years before he or she begins to feel unwell and their immune system comes under attack."
Mr Ramkhelawon wants to see women who have tested positive for chlamydia, a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by a tiny bacterium, chlamydia trachomatis, have the HIV test, too.
Chlamydia is on the increase big time. He doesn't want such a leap in HIV numbers. He wants awareness, but not the panic of the 1980s. Balance, not Catch 22.
* Figures from the Health Protection Agency
NUMBER-CRUNCHING
There are 50 people being treated for HIV in Colchester and Tendring
The North East Essex Primary Care Trust (PCT) spends £1.5 million a year on treating sexually-transmitted diseases, £700,000 on HIV treatment and support
More than a third of the UK's new HIV cases in 2007 - 2,630* - were amongst gay men. This is the third successive year new diagnoses among gay men have risen above 2,600, the highest levels since records began.
* Figure from the Health Protection Agency
9:58am Wednesday 9th April 2008
Print 
Email this 
CommentPosted by: Red Tape, Colchester on 3:39pm Wed 9 Apr 08
I think another fact that is rarely reported is that although there is now treatment for HIV it has some pretty nasty side-effects and you're on it for the rest of your life!
I think another fact that is rarely reported is that although there is now treatment for HIV it has some pretty nasty side-effects and you're on it for the rest of your life!
What are these links for?
If you liked this article and would like to share it with others on the web who might be searching for good content we've made it easy for you to do it.
At the bottom of all articles, you'll see links to six sites. These sites - commonly called 'social bookmark' or 'social news' sites - have large communities of web users who share and rate interesting, useful and fun things on the web.
Clicking the links will automatically add the address of the story you are reading to one of these sites, letting you share it with others. Each site will ask you to register to share stories. Registration is free and once a member, you can store, recommend and search for stories that interest you.
More on Digg
More on del.icio.us
More on Furl
More on reddit
More on NowPublic/
More on Yahoo!
