According to a new report from Public Health England, 92% of individuals with HIV in the United Kingdom had been diagnosed, 98% of diagnosed individuals had received treatment and 97% of individuals on treatment had achieved viral suppression as of 2017. With this accomplishment, the United Kingdom has become one of the first countries to achieve the UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets. This highlights the success of HIV prevention efforts in the country.
In 2017, the United Kingdom had 102,000 individuals living with HIV, 8% of them being unaware of their infection. Effectively, 87% of individuals with HIV after treatment have an undetectable viral load making them incapable of transmitting the infection to others. The trend of decline in new HIV diagnoses in the United Kingdom continues, with a 17% fall from 5280 in 2016 to 4363 in 2017. The declining transmission rates among gay and bisexual men that started in 2012 persist.
A combination of efforts including condom use, improved HIV screening, early initiation of HIV treatment and availability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has contributed to the success in the United Kingdom. Despite the promising figures, there are some areas of improvement such as missed opportunities for early diagnosis of HIV.
