Living With AIDS In London

Main Category: HIV / AIDS
Article Date: 02 Dec 2008 - 2:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

Treatments have come far BUT research shows that one third of people living with HIV in London have been discriminated against and many are living in poverty. Too many people with HIV are still facing high levels of social and economic hardship, argues Professor Jonathan Elford of City University London.

It was hoped that in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), the lives of people living with HIV would significantly improve but research from City University London shows that:

 -   almost one third of HIV positive people living in London say they have been discriminated against because of their HIV status;

 -   People with HIV are less likely to be employed than the general population - including those who were diagnosed after new treatments became available in 1995;

 -   some people with HIV still face high levels of social and economic hardship.

Professor Elford says:

"With better treatments available, people with HIV are living longer, healthier lives than ever before, but discrimination, unemployment and poverty are still causing problems in this country."

"The consequences of HIV discrimination, together with the fear of discrimination, are far-reaching. They include delays in seeking an HIV test, failure to access health and social care and non-disclosure of HIV status." Research Shows That Discrimination Is Still A Problem

According to a recent study conducted by City University London, in conjunction with Homerton University Hospital, 30 per cent of people with HIV have experienced discrimination of some sort because of their HIV status; this was found to increase as physical signs of the infection became more apparent. The study showed that although discrimination came from a variety of sources, such as family members and employers, almost 50 per cent of those experiencing HIV discrimination said they had been treated unfairly or differently by a healthcare worker, particularly by dentists, GPs and hospital staff outside the HIV clinic.

Respondents cited examples of discrimination including:

 -    "The dentist refused to treat me when I told him my status"
 -    "In my local surgery, when they found out I was HIV positive they refused to treat me"
 -    "I was rejected from my family because of my HIV"
 -    "I lost out on career opportunities when they found out I was HIV positive."
 -    "Do me a favour, I have enough trouble placing epileptics (into work) - go and take your benefits" (said an employment advisor)

Professor Jonathan Elford from City University London says:

"Our findings highlight a strong need for healthcare workers to receive more training in caring for those with HIV. HIV clinics are coming under increasing pressure to provide treatment solely for HIV itself and to refer patients to general healthcare services for all other treatment. This means that more HIV positive patients are being seen by GPs, dentists and other health professionals."

People With HIV Living In London Face High Levels Of Social And Economic Hardship

Researchers at City University London and Homerton University Hospital have also found that people with HIV living in London face high levels of social and economic hardship. They found that these levels are particularly high among black African men and women, who face more problems relating to employment, income and housing than any other group. The results showed that although the overall level of education amongst the participants was high, nearly half the respondents were unemployed. Around 55 per cent of the HIV positive gay men were working compared with 45 per cent of black African heterosexual men and 35 per cent of African women. Just over a quarter of all respondents reported not having enough money to cover their basic needs.  Among the African respondents this rose to forty percent. Unemployment was found to be associated with the number of years since HIV diagnosis; the longer someone had been diagnosed with HIV, the less likely they were to be employed.

Deborah Jack, Chief Executive of the National AIDS Trust says:

"This research highlights that tackling poverty and unemployment among people living with HIV in the UK should be given priority by policy makers."

Over 1,600 people living in London and diagnosed with HIV, took part in the study, which set out to explore the social and economic circumstances of people living with HIV by ethnicity and sexual orientation.  The participants included black African heterosexual men and women as well as white and ethnic minority gay men.  These are the people most affected by HIV in the UK.

Notes

-- The paper 'HIV-related discrimination reported by people living with HIV in London, UK' by Elford J, Ibrahim F, Bukutu C, Anderson J was published by the academic journal AIDS and Behaviour in March 2008. Over 1,600 people attending HIV specialist outpatient clinics in north east London took part in the study during 2004-5, including gay men, as well as black African heterosexual men and women. The research was funded by St Bartholomew's and The Royal London Charitable Foundation and City University London. The report's co-author, Dr Jane Anderson, is director of the Centre of Sexual Health and HIV (CSSHH) at Homerton.

-- The full report, entitled 'Social and economic hardship among people living with HIV in London' by Ibrahim F, Anderson J, Bukutu C, Elford J, was published in the academic journal HIV Medicine in October 2008. The report was based on the same study population as the Discrimination paper.

City University London

City University London is a principal provider of undergraduate, postgraduate, professional and vocational education in the United Kingdom. The University is committed to leading London in education, research and knowledge transfer for businesses and the professions and is renowned for its international focus and the employability of its graduates.

The University teaches across a range of subjects in arts including journalism and music, informatics, social sciences, engineering and mathematical sciences, business, law, health and community sciences.

The University attracts over 23,000 students from 156 countries, while teaching staff are drawn from nearly 50 international locations, ensuring that the University has a truly international outlook.

City University London was founded in 1894 as the Northampton Institute and was awarded full university status in 1966. Please see the following link for more information http://www.city.ac.uk

Homerton University Hospital is an NHS Foundation Trust situated in the London Borough of Hackney, serving the local population of 250,000 within a diverse multiethnic community. The Trust sees over ¼ million patients every year and employs over 2,200 staff.

City University London