Women with HIV sidelined because focus is on gay men, says charity

 Women’s HIV is not being treated early enough because campaigns are too focused on gay men, the Terence Higgins Trust has warned.

The charity’s research shows that almost half of women with HIV believe they have been diagnosed late, which could shorten their lives.

Public health experts interviewed by the charity also felt that overall, there had been “a disproportionate focus on men who have sex with men in the HIV response” with one stakeholder suggesting that the sector had “taken its eye off the ball” when it came to HIV and women.

In 2016, 28,479 women in the UK were receiving care for HIV, around a third of total cases. Almost half of those interviewed had also been diagnosed with mental health issues since finding out they had HIV and a similar proportion were living below the poverty line.

Maria Miller, chairman of the Commons women and equalities committee, said: “Women have too often been the silent partner when it comes to HIV.T his must change.

“The issues raised in this report are familiar to me in many ways – time and again, women’s issues are not prioritised and addressed.”