Alarming rise in new Lancashire HIV cases (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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Alarming rise in new Lancashire HIV cases
2:30pm Wednesday 12th September 2012 in News
By Catherine Pye, Health reporter
NEW cases of HIV in Lancashire have jumped 15 per cent — with a growing number of over-50s living with the disease.
There were 93 new cases in Lancashire in 2011, compared to 81 in 2010, and the majority of new cases — 56 per cent — were infected through sex between men.
Eighteen per cent of the new cases were in those aged 50 and over and the age group accounted for 29 per cent of the total 911 accessing treatment for HIV in Lancashire.
In the North West, there has been a 41 per cent increase in the number of new HIV diagnoses among older adults in the past five years, compared with a six per cent decrease in the under 50s.
Jane Harris, lead author of the report for the Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University, said: “It is promising that the numbers of people living with HIV to an older age is rising confirming that with treatment and care a HIV diagnosis is no longer a death sentence.
“However, caring for the health needs of older people with HIV will present new challenges and this coupled with an overall increase in new HIV cases show we cannot become complacent.
“Investment in prevention and innovations in treatment are vital to ensuring the best possible health outcomes.”
In total, there were 6,993 people in the North West living with HIV in 2011, a six per cent increase on 2010, and the highest total ever recorded.
Those aged 50 and over now make up 20 per cent of those accessing treatment and care for HIV in the north west.
Older adults with HIV are more likely to experience lifelong illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and to suffer from the side-effects of treatment.
Comments(3)
Chris P Bacon
says...
6:27pm Thu 13 Sep 12
lwg76
says...
6:02pm Fri 14 Sep 12
What about the 76 patients under 50 that Would cost by your figures over Three and a Half Million Pounds.
My letter was about the Writer using spurious statistics to target a specific section of the Population, Namely the over 50s.
lwg76 says...
10:16am Thu 13 Sep 12
"Jumped by 15%".
Real figure, only 12 more new cases this year than last.
"18% of new and 29% of the total are over 50".
That is 17 new cases and a total of 264 sufferers are over 50. (The articles figures).
If you consider only the adult population over a third i.e. 33% may be over 50, which means that a greater proportion of those under 50 suffer so why single out those over 50 for this attention, surely the figures 82% of new and 71% of the total (76 and 647 sufferers) are under 50 are far more important. Especially when you consider that around 66% of the Adult population are under 50.
As to the final figure "20% of cases in the NW are over 50" shows that the a smaller proportion of the population over 50 suffer than under 50.
So why sensationalise the figures for over 50s whilst ignoring the higher proportion of under 50s that suffer.
As to the significance of the increase and totals, Taking the Population of Lancashire as a whole, (I am not sure which Lancashire is being considered) political Lancs or the Real Lancs), the figures relate to a total increase of 0.007% ie up from 0.058 to 0.065 percent of the total population.
The subject of this serious disease together with the suffering of those afflicted should not be misused to sensationalise a report and support a Hidden Agenda which in this this case seems to be a Bias against the Elderly.