HIV Action Plan could completely eliminate new infections in Wales

The Welsh Government has published a HIV Action Plan today which will help to tackle stigma surrounding the illness – and could even eliminate new infections entirely.

The plan now contains five priority areas for action including prevention, testing, clinical care, living well with HIV and adopting a zero-tolerance approach to HIV-related stigma.

The proposal contains 30 ambitious actions for implementation by 2026, which the Welsh Government say will help Wales achieve the World Health Organisation’s target of zero new HIV infections by 2030.

The plan has been developed in partnership with the HIV Action Plan working group, which has a membership drawn from a diverse range of stakeholders, including those living with HIV.

In June 2022, feedback on a draft of the action plan highlighted some gaps and areas for improvement and the plan was reassessed and strengthened as a result.

Last summer, the Welsh Government announced funding and further develop of an online STI testing platform which made STI testing, including HIV testing, more accessible.

Support

A further £600,000 of funding has been made available to support other key actions in the plan, including the establishment of a case management system, which will help improve patient experience and ensure more accurate and timely surveillance of HIV testing and diagnoses.

This also includes support to establish Fast Track Cymru support for a national peer support programme, and for HIV Testing Week in Wales.

In total, the plan is supported by a funding package of £4.5m.

Minister for Health and Social Services, Eluned Morgan said: “We are at the beginning of an exciting journey, which can achieve real change.

“I firmly believe that by implementing this action plan, we can and will make a difference to those who are living with HIV today and we can all look forward with real hope that by 2030 there will be no new cases of HIV diagnosed in Wales.”