Dec
24
2008
NAT Welcomes Lancet Report Calling for Needle Programs in Prison
NAT (National AIDS Trust) welcomes the report Interventions to Reduce HIV Transmission Related to Injecting Drug Use in Prison by Dr Ralf Jürgens, an HIV consultant based in Quebec, Canada, and colleagues on behalf of WHO and published in the January edition of Lancet Infectious Diseases.
The report concludes prisons should have needle and syringe programs and other preventive measures in place to prevent HIV transmission between inmates.
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Nov
12
2008
NAT's Position on Current Restrictions on Blood Donation
Deborah Jack, Chief Executive of NAT (National AIDS Trust), comments:
"NAT is not convinced by the justification put forward for the current lifetime ban for men who have ever had sex with another man and anyone who has ever injected drugs or ever received payment in money or drugs for sex. We are campaigning for the National Blood Service to review the restrictions.
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Nov
04
2008
Need to Improve Prevention and Testing to Combat Undiagnosed HIV Among Africans and Caribbeans
New statistics released today from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) show that 42 per cent of all Africans diagnosed with HIV in the UK are diagnosed late.
Deborah Jack, Chief Executive of NAT, comments:
“The alarming proportion of late HIV diagnoses amongst Africans in the UK results in increased illness and death as well as increasing the risk of onward transmission. We need to expand HIV testing urgently outside sexual health clinics - GPs in particular need to start testing for HIV and become better at recognising the signs and symptoms of HIV infection.”
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Jul
31
1900
Review of the National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV
The Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV published today the review of the National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV, authored by MedFASH. The report outlines changes in the external environment, what aspects of the strategy have been achieved, the barriers to implementation, and makes recommendations for further action.
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Jul
23
2008
Failure to Diagnose Early Stage Symptoms is Fuelling Spread of HIV
The National AIDS Trust has today released the report ‘Primary HIV Infection’. The report finds conclusive evidence that symptoms of early-stage HIV infection (clinically known as ‘primary HIV infection’) are being commonly missed by people who are infected, by doctors and by other healthcare professionals. Failure to diagnose at this early stage is fuelling HIV in the UK.
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Jul
02
2008
NAT urges EU to Protect People Living with HIV From Discrimination
The National AIDS Trust is calling upon the European Union to provide for the first time explicit protection from discrimination for people living with HIV from the point of diagnosis. The European Commission announced today plans for a new European equality directive. The directive will ban discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, religion and sexual orientation but the current draft does not protect people living with HIV.
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May
18
2008
World AIDS Day Vaccine
On the occasion of World AIDS Vaccine Day, Sunday 18 May 2008, Deborah Jack, Chief Executive of the National AIDS Trust confims the charity's support for the development of new methods of HIV prevention and calls on the government to intensify its commitment to the development of a HIV vaccine which could save millions of lives. To find out more about the current situation with regards to vaccine research,
read the comment piece from Seth Berkley of the International AIDS Vaccine Initative (IAVI) featured in the Guardians's 'Comment is free'.
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May
01
2008
Britain and Condoms: The On-Off Relationship
Nearly half (49 percent) of the British public don’t always use a condom when with a new sexual partner, according to the Ipsos MORI survey conducted for the National AIDS Trust. In National Condom Week the National AIDS Trust is calling for new culture of condom use in the UK.
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Apr
30
2008
National AIDS Trust Comments on Search for an AIDS Vaccine
Deborah Jack, Chief Executive of the National AIDS Trust, comments;
“Almost 7,000 people are newly infected with HIV everyday. Now is not the time to give up hope. Now more than ever it is important that we redouble our efforts and support scientists in developing a HIV vaccine.
Progress is happening. In just 25 years what was once a death sentence can now be managed and people with HIV in the UK are living long healthy lives. We have a much better understanding of the HIV virus and scientists working in the field remain confident and committed to finding a vaccine.
Developing a vaccine is a long and expensive process that requires patience and long-term investment. But the solution to HIV lies in a comprehensive package of prevention and treatment which includes a vaccine, all of which must be given sustained commitment.
For the 2.5 million people that were diagnosed with HIV last year, we must not give up hope in vaccine for HIV, we must make it a necessity.”
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Apr
21
2008
National AIDS Trust Gives Guidance for Professionals on Asylum Seekers and HIV
The National AIDS Trust has today, 21 April, published HIV and the UK Asylum Pathway. More people than ever before are living with HIV in the UK, and a significant number of asylum applicants are coming from high prevalence countries. This report makes the case for the needs of HIV-positive asylum seekers to be better supported throughout the asylum process and the HIV prevention needs of migrants to be considered earlier.
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Mar
08
2008
Next Generation Microbicides offer new New Hope for Womens Sexual Health
On International Women’s Day, 8 March 2008, the National AIDS Trust calls on Government and pharmaceutical companies to support trials of a new class of microbicides that could offer the greatest hope for women’s sexual health in the 21st century. Existing methods of HIV prevention are failing millions of women, particularly in developing countries, where women often cannot negotiate condom use.
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Mar
01
2008
Dame Denise Platt wins Public Servant Award
Dame Denise Platt has been named Public Servant of the Year in the 2008 Dods and Scottish Widows ‘Women in Public Life Awards’. Dame Denise is Chair of the National AIDS Trust Board of Trustees as well as Chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection
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