BASHH welcomes new Government HIV Action Plan

The British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) strongly welcomes the publication of the new HIV Action Plan ‘Towards Zero: An Action Plan towards ending HIV transmission, AIDS and HIV-related deaths in England’. Commenting on the publication, Dr John McSorley, President of BASHH said:

“This new Action Plan represents the next key milestone in our progress towards eradicating HIV and improving the lives of all those affected by the disease. Building on the seminal work of the community-led HIV Commission, it sets out a clear plan and targeted funding for reaching the goal of reducing new HIV transmissions by 80% by 2025, as part of the wider plans for ending new HIV infections by 2030. As noted, key to this will be delivering increased testing amongst high-risk populations, as well as ensuring that effective prevention tools such as PrEP are available to all those who need them, as quickly as possible.

BASHH are particularly encouraged to see the commitment included within the Plan for the Government to report annually on its progress towards achieving these goals, and we welcome the new national HIV Action Plan Implementation Steering Group, comprising key clinical and voluntary sector stakeholders, which is being established to support this progress. The announcement demonstrates what can be achieved when all partners come together to work towards a common goal and reinforces our position as a world-leader in the fight against HIV.”

Details of the new HIV Action Plan are available online here.