Research by the BBC has found that seven out of 30 dentists contacted would refuse to treat a person with HIV. The British Dental Association (BDA) was appalled at the news. "We support the right of HIV positive patients to seek dental treatment with a family dentist," they said. Anyone refused treatment is advised to contact their local HIV clinic and ask them to recommend a dentist, contact the General Dental Council to complain and consider legal action under revisions to the Disability Discrimination Act.
British teenagers with HIV are less likely than adults to access medical care. New research in the journal Aids found that of the 900 UK teenagers diagnosed with HIV, as many as 45 per cent are 'lost' in follow up. Investigators were very concerned about the high number of teenagers who did not return to clinics for HIV test results and remained unaware of their HIV status. Other concerns were of the high level of sexually transmitted infections among teenagers as well as high rates of severe mental health problems.
Glasgow has overtaken Edinburgh for the first time as the HIV capital of Scotland. Over the last year, new HIV cases have doubled in Glasgow (from 41 to 82) and have gone up by 79 across Scotland (from 171 to 250). The Glasgow Herald newspaper puts the big increase down to an influx of asylum seekers into the city and says 10,000 refugees have settled on Clydeside in recent years.
To a government seemingly obsessed with unattainable targets, the most recent may seem a little more than optimistic. An Action Plan, published by the Department of Health, suggests that three quarters of teenagers in Northern Ireland should still be virgins at the age of 16. It says that good sex education and communication can delay the time of teenagers' first sexual experience.
Lighthouse West London and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital are now offering same-day HIV tests at the Ladbroke Grove centre. The aim is to provide an alternative location for people who may be put off by hospitals. The service will be open access, on Monday evenings from 5 to 8.15pm. For further info, call THT Direct on 0845 12 21 200.
Over a third of callers to the Family Planning Association (fpa) national helpline on contraception and sexual health, report having difficulty obtaining information they need from local health services. The charity's helpline receives over 100,000 enquiries a year and chief executive Anne Weyman, said: "Access to information and local provision of all contraceptive methods should be a fundamental right, not a luxury." For details, visit: www.fpa.org.uk
Patients with liver disease could miss out on treatments from April, experts have warned. A million people in Britain have liver disease, such as cirrhosis and hepatitis, and over 4,000 died from liver disease last year. But other government health spending priorities on heart disease and cancer, mean that liver patients may miss out on what is already very variable and patchy treatment within the NHS. Nigel Hughes, chief executive of the British Liver Trust, said: "The whole way the NHS is currently focused means that liver disease is very low on the agenda."
A one-day conference exploring discrimination in UK African communities is being held in London on 4 March. The event is organised by the African Health Promotion team at THT, in conjunction with the African HIV Policy Network, Positively Women and the HIV/Aids Association of Zambia. To register, contact Andy Bell at THT on 020 7816 4643 or visit: www.tht.org.uk
