HIV diagnoses have surged to a 15-year high, driven overwhelmingly by migrants arriving from abroad — particularly from Africa — with over half of all new cases now originating outside England for the first time ever. Record migration levels are directly fueling this spike, threatening the 2030 goal to end transmissions and creating widening health inequalities that demand urgent action on border health screening and resource allocation.
The government's bold £170 million HIV action plan puts England on track to become the first country to end new transmissions by 2030 through innovative opt-out testing in emergency departments, home testing via the NHS App and targeted outreach to disengaged patients. Medical advances mean people with HIV now live full, healthy lives without transmitting the virus, making elimination achievable through smart investment in prevention and treatment rather than stigma and fear.
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