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Andy Bell from Erasure publicly announced he had HIV in 2004 (Reuters)

The number of gay men with HIV has reached a record high, with one in 20 men who have sex with men (MSM) living with the disease.

The figures, from the Health Protection Agency (HPA), were released in conjunction with national HIV testing week, which runs until 30 November.

According to the findings, the number of new diagnoses among MSM reached an all-time high of 3,010 in 2011.

London has most sufferers per head of population - one in 12 MSM have HIV in the capital. That equals 47 per 1,000.

The HPA also warns that the number of people living with HIV could be significantly higher than the 96,000 it can confirm, as a quarter of people with the disease are unaware of their status.

Findings showed that the black African community is at greater risk, with 37 per 1,000 living with the disease. Overall, HIV prevalence in the UK is 1.5 per 1,000.

The research also found that 2,990 heterosexual men and women were diagnosed with the disease last year.

Nick Partridge, chief executive of Terrence Higgins Trust, said: "Thirty years on from the start of the epidemic, public understanding of HIV has dropped to a worrying level. As a result, we are starting to see a significant increase in the number of heterosexuals acquiring the virus in the UK.

"It is important that everyone, no matter their age or background, understands that nobody is immune from infection. We all have a responsibility to get our understanding of the virus up to a basic level, and know how to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe."

Originally posted here:
Gay Men HIV Levels at All-Time High with 1 in 20 Infected