The Sun: Brits urged to get HIV tests as heterosexual diagnosis higher

 

The Sun: Brits urged to get HIV tests as heterosexual diagnosis higher

BRITS have been urged to come forward for HIV tests after heterosexual diagnoses of the illness have overtaken those in gay men.

It’s the first time the cases have shifted in decades and research shows that testing rates have dropped a third.

It comes after a new HIV ‘super strain’ has been detected in with 109 new cases.

The new ‘super-strain’ – called “VB” – was first found in the Netherlands as part of a study that collects samples.

Data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows that in England in 2020, half of all new HIV diagnoses were in heterosexuals – compared to 45 per cent in gay and bisexual men.

In response to the testing results, HIV test kits will be made available from today for free and anyone who’s sexually active has been encouraged to test and know their HIV status.