Ultimately, according to British experts, HIV can be completely eradicated. They came to this conclusion after infections among homosexual men first declined, although the HIV epidemic was initially recorded in the early 1980s.
Gays, bisexuals and other non-traditional sex lovers make up half of all people living with HIV in England and are among the group most at risk of infection. At the national level, HIV diagnosis among heterosexuals has remained stable over the past two years at 1,500.
A 17 percent drop in HIV diagnoses in England over the past year - from 2,060 to 1,707 - is associated with a high level of HIV testing among people at greatest risk. Access to PrEP, a course of HIV drugs taken before sex, appears to reduce the risk of acquiring HIV by more than 90 percent, helping to reverse a trend that has been around for over 30 years.
In London, HIV diagnoses among men who have sex with men fell by 25 percent, from 1,227 to 915 cases. A 32 percent decrease was observed among patients in five large London clinics from 880 to 595, compared with an 8 percent decrease in the remaining 30 other London clinics. A 5 percent drop, from 833 to 792 HIV cases, occurred in 191 clinics throughout the rest of England.
“This coincided with high volumes of HIV testing and rapid initiation of treatment for HIV diagnostics. The fall was most evident in new patients tested,”write experts from Public Health England (PHE) and other agencies.
"Intensive testing of high-risk populations, combined with immediate antiretroviral therapy and a preventive program (PrEP), can make the goal of eliminating HIV within reach."
Following a trial earlier this year, NHS England agreed to launch a trial version of the PrEP program, which means the drugs will become available later this year to at least 10,000 people in England and Wales. The Scottish Health Regulatory Authority has already given the green light to the PrEP program, and it should be launched this summer.
If the experience of aggressively introducing HIV testing for high-risk populations, combined with widespread immediate access to antiretroviral therapy, is used elsewhere, a "significant reduction" in this disease could be achieved at the national level, experts say.
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