African Patients Push British HIV Figures to New Record

Immigrants from Africa have overtaken homosexual men as the largest group reporting new HIV infections in Britain. Last year 4,163 people were found to have HIV, of whom 1,338 were homosexual and more than 1,500 heterosexuals from Africa. Fewer than 200 cases were attributed to heterosexual sex in Britain.

"The figures show that there were more newly diagnosed cases of HIV among African immigrants than gay men for the first time," said Barry Evans, HIV consultant at the Public Health Laboratory Services center for communicable disease surveillance. The number of African immigrants with HIV has tripled in the past five years from 500 to 1,533 last year, taking the total number of new cases to the highest since testing began in 1985, according to the center.

Of the 22,000 people known to be living with HIV in Britain, more than 5,000 are from Africa, including refugees, students, nurses, others with work permits, and visitors. The Human Rights Act gives overseas visitors with HIV the right to stay and be treated for the rest of their lives if treatment is not available at home.

Callum O'Mahoney, chair of the Association of Genito-Urinary Medicine, said that the trend could spark a new outbreak of HIV among British heterosexuals. "There's a huge potential to spread that wasn't there before, because the number of gays is just not that high: there are far more heterosexuals."

Many HIV specialists are unclear on who they are meant to treat and under what circumstances. Some patients visiting relatives attend clinics, where they are not legally entitled to treatment without first applying to remain in the United Kingdom on compassionate grounds. Doctors have been appealing to the Department of Health for guidance but have been told not to raise the issue because it is too sensitive.

Some countries, such as the United States, Canada and Australia insist on HIV tests before someone is granted permission to immigrate.

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