Blackliners, formerly the largest UK organisation for black people with HIV, has closed. The decision to go into liquidation was taken at an AGM on 31 March and services were wound down over April. The organisation, which used to have three offices and employ 25 staff, had been in financial trouble for over a year. Meanwhile, three south London HIV organisations - Positive Place in Lewisham, ACIA in Merton, and AHEAD in Greenwich - announced that they are to form a merged African HIV agency for south London.
The number of pregnant women diagnosed with HIV in Scotland almost doubled last year and is now at a record high. Latest figures show that 30 expectant mums tested positive north of the border in 2002, compared with 16 in 2001 and 25 in 2000. The average in the 1990s was just 14. Last year there were a record 250 new HIV cases, the highest for 15 years.
Professor Michael Adler says Britain is facing a public health crisis because of the dramatic increase in sexually-transmitted infections. Writing in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections, Professor Adler, of the Royal Free and University College Medical School, said that unless there is political leadership, backed by money, the situation would not improve. He said that the government’s £47.5 million set aside for the National Sexual Health Strategy would not cover chlamydia screening, let alone improve other sexual health services.
A whopping 34 per cent of gay men in England have experienced homophobic abuse in the last year, according to new research. The 2002 National Gay Men’s Sex Survey found that most of the abuse was from strangers in public and a disturbing seven per cent of those questioned had been physically assaulted. Researchers interviewed 17,000 gay men at six Pride events across the country, via the web and through 107 health promotion agencies. The data is available at www.sigmaresearch.org.uk
Lighthouse East has won the tender to provide HIV social care services in the east London Boroughs of Barking, Dagenham and Havering. Adam Wilkinson said: “We will be talking to local service users in the next weeks as well as clinical staff to find out more about the needs in the area.” However local HIV charity Caress says that they will now be really pushed financially after THT Lighthouse won the local contract and must seek alternative sources of income to survive. The Lighthouse East service will not be locally based and will only operate over the telephone. For details of the Lighthouse East service, telephone the THT Direct helpline on 0845 1221 200 and for Caress, telephone 020 8220 2014 or visit: www.poboxes.co./caress
People staying long-term in NHS hospitals will no longer face deductions from their benefits, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown has announced. Previously those on state benefits who were in hospital for more than six weeks faced deductions from their benefits for care such as meals and accommodation. Brown told the House of Commons that the charges would be abolished with immediate effect: “It’s a hotel charge on one of the most vulnerable groups in our society. For everyone else, other than those on pensions and benefits, hospital care is entirely free of charge.”
Reverend Alison Fuller, rector of St Columba’s by the Castle, is to run the Edinburgh marathon on 15 June to raise funds for Scotland’s largest HIV charity Waverley Care. The charity has never had a runner participating in the marathon and will use the money raised to support its work with children who are living in families where either or both parents have HIV or Aids. To sponsor Reverend Fuller, contact Karen Docwra at Waverley Care on 0131 226 2206, email: fund@waverleycare.org.
