Opening a short debate on HIV in the House of Lords on 11th September, Guy highlighted the issue of those who know they are living the virus but are not accessing effective treatment and care.
He said that - as a result of the successful policy of opt-out testing in A&Es introduced by the Conservative Government - it is known "that up to 15,000 people in England who are aware that they have HIV are not accessing life-saving care, with devastating personal consequences for them and profound ramifications for public health, because if you are not on medication, you can pass on the virus."
He pointed to the case of a 45 year-old man, out of care for several years, "who went to hospital with a headache and was found to have a CD4 count of just four. He was diagnosed with cryptococcal meningitis, an AIDS-related illness. He went blind and died three months later, one of a growing number of tragic preventable deaths."
He asked the Minister, Baroness Merron, to ensure that an HIV action plan is put in place as soon as possible "and that this issue—with funding, if necessary—will be a key part of it, to ensure that we get those lost to care back into it."
The full debate, including the Minister's reply, is here.
Ends.
