Better access to condoms and lessons in schools are among 26 actions planned to eliminate new HIV infections by 2030 has been published by the Welsh Government. In 2021 there were 48 people newly diagnosed with HIV infection in Wales and approximately 2,800 people accessed care in Wales for HIV.
The draft 2023-26 plan, a Programme for Government commitment, sets out our future approach to prevention, testing, clinical care, living well with HIV and tackling HIV-related stigma.
Actions will include increasing access to condoms and PrEP, breaking down barriers to testing, developing a national peer support programme for Wales and creating an HIV awareness programme including introducing it into the school curriculum. And a total of £3.9m has been announced to develop online HIV testing.
The Health Minister Eluned Morgan has said that more people were tested for HIV between January and March 2022 than in any previous quarter, and these new measures will increase that figure further.
The plan has been created by the HIV action plan working group which includes community-based stakeholders, the voluntary and community sector, healthcare professionals, academics and people with HIV.
Between 2015 and 2021, Wales saw a 75 per cent reduction in new diagnoses of HIV. The Welsh Government says a significant factor in this was their commitment to provide Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for anyone who is clinically in need since the summer of 2017.
Ms Morgan said: "We have come a long way since the dark days of the 1980s – which were so memorably depicted last year in Channel 4’s It’s a Sin – when ignorance and cruelty towards people with HIV was rife.
“There is no place for ignorance or intolerance in modern Wales and this plan sets out actions to tackle this.
“Working with partners, we have made huge progress in improving access to testing and treatment in Wales and we’re proud of the significant reduction in new diagnoses of HIV.
“There is more to be done and by implementing these actions, we can make a massive difference to the lives of people living with HIV and in protecting current and future generations from the virus. I encourage anyone living with or with experience of working with people with HIV to take part in our consultation.”
Following the success of Fast Track Cardiff & Vale, a collaboration of public bodies which created Wales HIV Testing Week and piloted new services, the plan also recommends the introduction of an all-Wales coalition, Fast Track Cymru.
The aspiration is to make Wales a Fast Track Nation, supporting regional networks of health, social care and community groups to help reach the 2030 goals of no new HIV diagnoses and zero stigma.
Gian Molinu, Chair of Fast Track Cardiff & Vale, said: “We’re pleased that the Welsh Government has recognised that collaboration and inclusion is the way forward and made a commitment to encouraging new ways of working. It’s vital that people with HIV and the communities most affected have a say in these plans so we urge people to take part in the consultation."
A 12-week consultation period has now opened for people and organisations to comment on the plan.
