A test tube containing a blood sample
(Picture: PA)Londoners have been urged to come forward and get tested for HIV to mark National HIV Testing Week.
Dwayne Wilson-Hunt, a charge nurse for sexual health at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust, said that increased testing could help the UK hit its target to end all transmission by 2030.
There were an estimated 1,600 people living with undiagnosed HIV in London in 2020, which is a third of all the people in the UK with undiagnosed HIV.
People can live with HIV for a long time without symptoms – though the illness can now be managed effectively with medication.
Londoners can get a test at a sexual health clinic, a GP, through HIV and sexual health charities or by ordering a test online.
Mr Wilson-Hunt told the Standard: “There is still a lot of stigma around HIV and it is also a heavy financial burden on the NHS. But it’s something that can be prevented nowadays.
“It’s so important that we reduce transmission and ensure everyone is tested, knows their HIV status and is using preventative methods like PrEP or condoms.”
Routine opt-out testing for blood borne viruses - including HIV and Hepatitis B and C - began in all emergency departments in the capital last this year as part of efforts to reduce transmission in areas with the highest rates of undiagnosed HIV.
In an opt-out testing regimen, patients are informed that they are receiving an HIV test but can decline if they wish. It has been implemented in maternity services since 2000 and helps to offer effective early treatment to those with the virus.
Mr Wilson-Hunt said the policy had helped to uncover a lot of hepatitis cases in the Trust but a slightly smaller number of HIV infections, a sign that “preventative methods are working and that we are getting the message out there”.
He added: “The more people that test, the more people that don’t go undiagnosed. We don’t want people to be diagnosed late because they will have more ailments. If you know your HIV status, then you can empower yourself with regards to taking treatment.”
The trust has four main sexual health clinics: the John Hunter Clinic for Sexual Health, 10 Hammersmith Broadway, 56 Dean Street and West Middlesex University Hospital.
