Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2000. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2000. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Reuters NewMedia - Friday December 1, 2000
Patricia Reaney
Pop star Robbie Williams symbolically shattered the "wall of silence" surrounding HIV/AIDS, which has killed 21.8 million people worldwide, by smashing through a wall with a 50-toncrane.
"People have taken their eye off the ball. They think HIV is a manageable condition and we don't have to worry about it. They are ignoring the fact that HIV is causing huge social and economic problems for many, many countries around the world," said Derek Bodell, the chief executive of the National AIDS Trust (NAT), told Reuters.
PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS
New figures compiled by Britain's Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) show more people are being infected each year and that anti-AIDS drugs are prolonging the lives of those who already had the virus.
"The effect of this is that more and more people are now living with an HIV diagnosis, and this trend is set to continue," Dr Barry Evans, of the PHLS, said in a statement.
About 20,800 people were living with HIV at the end of last year. The numbers are expected to rise to 29,000 by 2003.
"Between 1996 and 1999, the number of people living with an HIV diagnosis increased by over 40 percent. These latest projections show that over the next few years the number will rise again on a similar scale," Evans said.
The PHLS figures were released on the same day the British government lowered the age of consent for gay sex from 18 to 16, in line with the age for heterosexuals.
The move was criticized by church leaders and denounced by politicians who fear it could make young people more vulnerable to exploitation.
Growing Conplacency
The rise in new HIV infections corresponds to a growing complacency about the threat of HIV/AIDS in Britain.
A survey by NAT has revealed that two-thirds of the public have not changed their lifestyle although the majority of people know that unprotected sex is the main cause of HIV infection.
One in 10 of the 2,008 adults questioned for the MORI poll wrongly believe there is a cure for AIDS.
"This poll shows that HIV complacency is alive and well in the UK today. It is of particular concern that the safer sex message is being ignored when condoms are effective in preventing not just HIV but other sexually-transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancy too," said Bodell.
The rising number of new infections in England and Wales reflect a similar trend worldwide. UNAIDS, the United Nations agency spearheading the global battle against AIDS, said 5.3 million people were infected with the HIV virus this year.
About three million people have died of HIV/AIDS so far this year and more than 36 million people around the globe are living with HIV/AIDS.
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