Forgotten message

IT was once a disease which was a watchword for every young person - HIV.

The iconic image of a black tombstone carved with the words "Aids - Don't Die Of Ignorance" was a stark reminder throughout the 80s and 90s that those who did not practise safe sex were gambling with their lives.

But today medics across York and North and East Yorkshire said that message had been forgotten - as shocking new figures revealed cases of the HIV virus have shot up alarmingly.

Yorkshire and Humberside has seen the largest proportional rise in new diagnoses in the whole of Britain, with cases rising from 103 in 2000 to 455 last year. The total number of patients seen for HIV care rose from 577 in 2000 to a massive 1,686 last year.

Dr John Givans, secretary of the local medical committee for North Yorkshire, compared young people's sexual attitudes to "like the swinging 60s".

Kathryn Gallon, manager of York-based North Yorkshire Aids Action, said: "It's serious. I'm concerned about the amount of young referrals we're getting."

IT is a hidden killer responsible for millions of deaths in some of the world's poorest countries.

But much nearer to home, shocking new figures reveal that cases of HIV virus have shot up by more than four times in our region within just a few years.

The statistics published by the Health Protection Agency show that Yorkshire and Humberside has seen the largest proportional rise in HIV diagnoses in the whole of Britain, with new cases mounting steeply from 103 in 2000 to 455 last year.

The area has also seen one of the biggest rises in the total number of patients seen for HIV care, from 577 in 2000 to a massive 1,686 last year.

In York Hospital last year, the budget for HIV treatment was £756,000.

Today, medics in York have expressed alarm about the number of young people involved and compared the liberal attitude to sex in the region with the "swinging 60s", saying that the Aids message so prevalent in the 1980s had been forgotten.

Across North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire last year, 53 people were diagnosed with HIV, with 272 infected people accessing treatment and care services. Experts in York have confirmed that cases of the potentially deadly infection were on the increase.

Kathryn Gallon, manager of York-based North Yorkshire Aids Action, said: "It's serious.

"There seems to be this idea that HIV isn't around in North Yorkshire - there's a lack of understanding. It's a concern that the safer sex messages aren't getting through."

The organisation, which provides emotional and practical support to people living with HIV, has seen a record 14 new referrals this year - eight in one quarter alone.

Now it has more than 70 people on its books, including both heterosexual and homosexual men and women, ranging in age from 24 to 76. "It isn't one particular target group any more," said Kathryn. "I'm more concerned about the amount of young referrals we're getting.

"A lot of people are living in isolation in the region.

"There are still people around who don't even know they are HIV positive."

But the virus, which is most commonly spread either sexually or through blood, can still be avoided with the right precautions - said Dr Ian Fairley, a consultant in genito-urinary medicine and HIV at York Hospital.

"HIV is essentially a preventable infection," he said. "The main message to get out to people is that HIV is around.

"The number of ill people in York is quite small - over a year we've got a handful of in-patients."

But he added: "We do see cases of people at low risk who are unexpectedly infected, even in North Yorkshire.

"Unless people protect themselves, they are putting themselves at risk. The overall message is that people should take care of their sexual health.

"A lot of it has been linked with overseas contact - people coming from overseas with infection. Anyone who gets infected with HIV - they have to live with it and be on treatment for the rest of their lives."

When Dr Fairley first came to York eight years ago, there were only about a dozen HIV patients accessing services at the hospital. Now there are between 90 and 100 on its books, mainly because of the vastly improved service now on offer there, which has enabled former patients to return to the city for treatment when they once had to go elsewhere.

Dr John Givans, secretary of the local medical committee for North Yorkshire - the body which represents GPs in the area - suggested today's more casual attitude to sex was connected with the rising HIV levels.

"The morning-after pill is usually available, so you don't bother to take any precautions," he said.

"You get the impression that perhaps as opposed to the 80s and 90s, we're a bit more like the swinging sixties now."

But although HIV is on the up everywhere, much better drugs are now available to treat it - and getting the infection diagnosed is key to managing it, said Dr Fairley.

Kathryn Gallon added: "It isn't the same death sentence it was. People are living well with HIV."

For help and support on living with HIV, phone North Yorkshire Aids Action on 01904 620424.

The facts about HIV and Aids

The numbers:

About 40 million people worldwide have been infected with HIV, the virus which can lead to Aids, since the condition was first recognised in 1981. About a third of these have died.

The symptoms:

The symptoms of HIV are similar to flu. They can include high temperature and fever, fatigue, skin rash, muscle pains, headache, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

How do you catch HIV?

An HIV-infected person carries the virus in bodily fluids, including blood, semen and breast milk. They can spread it to others in the following ways:

Unprotected sex, either anal or vaginal

Unprotected oral sex, although this is relatively rare

Sharing needles or syringes

Mother-to-child transmission through pregnancy, childbirth, or breast feeding.

How does the virus affect the body?

The virus hunts for the white blood cells which defend against infection. A person is said to have Aids when the immune system starts to fail and cannot fend off infections. It is not Aids itself that kills, but the illnesses that then attack the body.

How is HIV diagnosed?

Through a blood test, either by a GP or a specialist Genito-Urinary Medicine (GUM) clinic.

How do you treat it?

There are now a number of treatments, often called anti- retroviral drugs, which have dramatically improved life expectancy for people with HIV.

How do you prevent it?

Using a condom during sex if there is any possibility either partner could have the virus.

Not sharing needles if you are injecting drugs

Avoiding a blood transfusion in any country that does not screen and treat blood.

Figures a snapshot of sexual health

THE Health Protection Agency has also released figures into other sexual diseases in the UK.

Based on rates per 100,000 for new cases in North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire last year, here are estimated figures for North Yorkshire in 2004:

HIV: 29

Gonorrhea: 195

Syphilis: 5

Chlamydia: 1,216

Genital warts: 833

Genital herpes: 180

Gonorrhoea:

Yorkshire and Humberside saw one of the highest rates of gonorrhoea in the country, with 59 per 100,000 men affected, and 26 per 100,000 women.

But numbers of active gay men in the region being diagnosed with gonorrhoea dropped.

HIV:

Across the country, the rate of active gay men being diagnosed with HIV went up slightly, but among heterosexuals it quadrupled.

Heterosexual people under 25 had the lowest levels of HIV in 2004 - but even in this age band rates had increased five times.

Updated: 08:38 Tuesday, December 06, 2005