HIV prevention programmes proving effective

The number of new HIV infections has been reduced by 17 per cent in the past eight years, according to the latest figures.

A report from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and the World Health Organization revealed that prevention initiatives are making a difference to infection rates.

Rachael King, from international HIV and Aids charity AVERT, suggested that increased testing means more people are aware of their HIV status and so can take precautions with regards to transmission.

She said: "If HIV rates are to keep on declining, we are going to need the funding and the facilities for treatment prevention programmes to keep on going.

"We need to continue with prevention so that we don't even have to think about putting people onto treatment."

An estimated 77,400 people were living with HIV in the UK at the end of 2007, with more than a quarter (28 per cent) unaware of their infection, AVERT noted.

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