HIV diagnoses are soaring in Scotland at the same time as they are plummeting in England.
The number of newly diagnosed cases rose by 16 per cent north of the border between 2016 and last year while falling by 17 per cent across Britain as a whole. The worst outbreak for decades among injecting drug users in Glasgow was blamed for the disparity.
The public health minister and specialist charities have claimed that efforts to stem the crisis by opening Britain’s first medically supervised heroin injection clinic in the city have been blocked by the Home Office.
Health Protection Scotland figures show that the number of newly diagnosed HIV infections rose from 197 in 2016 to 228 last year. The equivalent Public Health England figures confirmed that new diagnoses fell from 5,280 to 4,363 over the same period.
The National Aids Trust claimed that most of the rise was due to the upsurge in Scotland’s largest city after years of falling diagnoses.
Yusef Azad, its director of strategy, said: “In Glasgow the outbreak that was first detected amongst people who inject drugs in 2015 is showing no signs of slowing. Work is ongoing to support those diagnosed but there are barriers to getting the outbreak under control.
“We are advocating for the opening of a drug consumption room, as all evidence points to their effectiveness in reducing needle sharing and drug-related deaths, but this has been blocked by Westminster.”
Mr Azad said that in 2016 a Glasgow needle exchange that had provided 40,000 sets of clean injecting equipment had closed. He added: “These types of services actively prevent outbreaks of blood borne viruses; we cannot close them down and expect to see no consequences.” Clive King, service manager with the Terrence Higgins Trust in Scotland, an HIV and sexual health charity, said: “It is concerning that Scotland is bucking the UK trend and that new HIV diagnoses are rising.
“A contributing factor may be the recent outbreak among intravenous drug users in Glasgow and surrounding areas. It is important this community is supported and provided with information about HIV and drug use and plans to tackle this are now being implemented.”
David Liddell, chief executive of the Scottish Drugs Forum, said: “This apparent divergence is a matter of some concern and should be investigated. We have an ongoing uncontrolled outbreak of HIV in people who inject drugs in Glasgow and the west of Scotland.”
A combination of cutbacks in addiction services and complacency has been blamed for the rise in addicts sharing needles and shunning treatment.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde estimates that the lifetime cost of treating those diagnosed with HIV will be almost £30 million. It backed plans to open a heroin injection centre but the Home Office has refused to grant permission. Drugs legislation is reserved to Westminster.
Alison Thewliss, SNP MP for Glasgow Central, said: “This current trajectory is really worrying and I would urge the home secretary to take urgent notice, to visit Glasgow and to open up some meaningful dialogue on this issue before the situation deteriorates further.” Ms Thewliss had lodged a private member’s bill at Westminster asking for a pilot safe injecting space but it did not progress.
Joe Fitzpatrick, Scotland’s public health minister, said that more than £2 million was being allocated to organisations dealing with sexual health and blood-borne viruses. He added: “We also support initiatives such as the proposals for a safer consumption facility, particularly in light of the growing number of HIV cases in Glasgow, and continue to press the UK government to devolve powers or change current laws to meet the specific public health challenges we see in the city.”