This Is Guernsey

By Zoe Ash

HIV is an issue for the Bailiwick, according to one health expert.

On the eve of World Aids Day, Guernsey’s sexual health services’ Dr Nikki Brink (pictured) said some people still questioned whether HIV was relevant to Guernsey.

‘The answer is a definite yes, but the voices of people living with HIV in the Bailiwick are often not heard,’ she said.

‘World Aids Day provides an opportunity to reflect and take action. People with HIV should be able to live free of discrimination and with access to the healthcare that they require.’

She said the situation in the Bailiwick was far more optimistic and that considerable progress had been made in the provision of care offered.

Thirty-four people were diagnosed with HIV in Guernsey between 1999 and 2009. All but nine are still being cared for on-island.

Seventeen people living with HIV in Guernsey are currently on treatment for HIV with different combinations of antiretroviral therapy.

‘Living with HIV in Guernsey poses unique problems and it is our hope that discussing this will contribute to dispelling some of the myths and misunderstandings,’ she said.

Dr Brink said the reality of living with HIV in the UK was a life of isolation and loneliness – something magnified for islanders.

‘Who should they tell that they are HIV-infected? How do they know that this information will not be passed on to others without their knowledge or consent?’ she said.

World Aids Day was started on 1 December 1988 with the aim of raising money, increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education.

There are now 33.2 million people living with HIV worldwide, including around 2.5 million children.

The global theme for World Aids Day 2009 is ‘Universal Access and Human Rights’. In the UK, the theme is ‘HIV Reality’.

Dr Brink said in the UK and the Bailiwick valuable progress had been made in increasing access to services.

‘We need to also focus on the larger issues if the goal of universal access to HIV services is to be achieved.

‘It is of great concern that millions of people continue to be infected with HIV every year and that, in low and middle income countries, less than half of those in need of therapy for HIV are receiving it,’ she said.

All people living with HIV in Guernsey receive care on-island and in conjunction with two London hospitals.

Article posted on 30th November, 2009 - 2.29pm