HIV at a Record High in UK

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has issued some startling new figures and revealed that the number of people living with HIV is at a record high in the UK.

It is estimated that around 100,000 have the virus but a quarter of those were probably unaware they are infected with the illness. 6280 people were diagnosed with HIV in 2011 and almost half of those were heterosexual.

Diagnosis of the illness among gay men is also at an all-time high with just over 3000 discovering they were infected.

Dr Valerie Delpech, head of HIV surveillance at HPC, said: “These figures are a reminder of how vital safe sex programmes remain. Promoting HIV testing and condom use is critical to tackling the high rates of transmission, late diagnosis and undiagnosed HIV still seen in the UK. The good news is that with the excellent services and treatments available nowadays, if diagnosed and treated early someone with HIV can look forward to normal lifespan, as well as protecting their sexual partners from infection”.

Walking and Cycling in Decline

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence claims the average time we spent walking or cycling in 2007 had fallen to 11 minutes compared to 12.9 minutes ten years earlier.

The health watchdog wants to reverse the decline and is encouraging commuters to either walk or get on a bike for short trips rather than drive. NICE is also hoping local authorities will recognise the benefits of walking and cycling by promoting car-free days, cycle hire and cycle / walking routes.

6000 Steps to a Healthier Life

If you’re aged between 45 and 72 and are hoping to beat the battle of the midlife jelly belly it appears there is a simple answer to your wishes … Walking!

Brazilian researchers recorded the amount of steps 292 women took daily and concluded that 6000 steps a day will aid weight loss. It will also help to lower the risk of other conditions associated with the menopause, such as, diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Walking has shown to be an excellent guide to your health as previous research has also found that middle-aged people who walk slowly and have a poor grip could be at a higher risk of dementia or stroke in later life.

In 2008 researcher found that men who walked for half an hour a day saw their blood pressure reduced for four hours afterwards.

RCN Warns of NHS Crisis

The Royal College of Nursing is warning government that it is creating a nursing crisis by allowing a loss of over 6000 qualified nursing posts and a reduction in training posts.

Since the government came to power the NHS workforce has shrunk by nearly 21,000 despite its promises to protect the staff. The RCN warns of nursing shortages and poor patient care within three years.

The government continues to dismiss the RCN figures as scare-mongering with health minister, Dr Daniel Poulter commenting: “NHS performance is strong; waiting times and infection rates are at record low levels. To say that the NHS is in crisis is scaremongering and doesn’t reflect reality. The health service is changing – the workforce is changing to reflect this, but changes must be decided at local level, based on evidence that they will improve patient care”.

Breastfeeding

Figures from the Health and Social Care Information Centre reveal that mothers are breastfeeding their babies for longer than they did in studies compiled in 2010 and 2005; with one in three mothers still doing so at six months.

The study also showed that mothers were most likely to breastfeed if they fell into one of the following categories’; aged over 30, from a minority ethnic group, university educated or living in affluent areas.

The three most common reasons given by mothers who stopped breastfeeding were: baby rejecting the breast, mother experiencing painful breasts, and mothers’ fears that the milk supply was insufficient.

Louise Silverton, the Royal College of Midwives Director for Midwifery, welcomed the rise but suggests there is still work to be done and said: “There needs to be a sea change in public attitude towards breast feeding in public places and more need to be done to increase the visibility of breast feeding and its acceptability in public. We are concerned that due to staff shortages women may not be getting the postnatal support they need from midwives whilst they establish breast feeding in the early days after birth, due to lack of time and resources for midwives to spend with women”.