"Women aged in their 50s and 60s have been urged to practise safe sex after a rise in new cases of HIV in heterosexual groups. As World Aids Day is marked, campaigners say women in this age group could be at greater risk of catching the virus because some are not using condoms. Blue Sky Trust, a sexual health charity working across north-east England and Cumbria, says it is seeing increasing numbers of older women coming forward for support, while a parliamentary committee noted a rise in women across all age groups being infected through sex with men."
"A recent report from the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee described the increase in the number of heterosexual women of all ages contracting the disease as "alarming". The committee said, compared with 2019, new diagnoses in 2024 were 26% higher in women exposed through sex with men. It recommended the "expansion of the opt-out testing programme" at facilities such as women's health hubs, as well as "locally-led campaigns" targeting at-risk groups which also included "Black African and Asian communities"."
New HIV diagnoses among heterosexual women have risen, with new diagnoses in 2024 reported as 26% higher than in 2019 for women exposed through sex with men. Women in their 50s and 60s are being urged to practise safe sex because some are not using condoms. Perimenopausal and menopausal women may assume pregnancy is not possible and therefore forgo condoms, increasing STI and HIV risk. Treatments now suppress the virus and support the U=U principle, but stigma and misinformation persist. Recommendations include expanding opt-out testing at women's health hubs and running locally led campaigns targeting at-risk communities. Charities report increased older women seeking support and are using social media to counter misinformation and promote testing and condom use.
Read at www.bbc.com
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