Aids campaigners today called for urgent action to combat a 33 per cent rise in the number of men in London infected with HIV.
The National Aids Trust said the increased HIV rate was “one of the most serious public health issues we face in the UK” after research suggested there were more than 1,900 new cases last year, up from 1,420 in 2011.
The rise was attributed to “high-risk” practices in the London gay scene, with many men taking party drugs such as crystal meth, mephedrone and GHB/GBL as a stimulant while attending “sex parties”.
The sharing of needles has become commonplace, leading to a 26 per cent rise in hepatitis C in the capital, and some men seek out websites or parties where they can find partners who will have sex without condoms, The Lancet reported.
Responsibility for public health and sexual health services rests with the 33 borough councils. “We need joint sexual health and drugs services, tailored to gay men’s needs and accessible across the city,” said Yusef Azad, of the National Aids Trust.
