A hospital consultant has urged people at risk of HIV infection to get tested and not to view the disease as fatal.

Dr Emile Morgan, consultant physician at the Sexual Health Centre at St Luke's Hospital, Bradford, says modern drug therapies mean patients now live for 15 to 20 years with the disease.

He runs services for Bradford's 50 HIV/Aids patients who attend regular outpatient sessions at his clinic.

"The testing, drug availability and care here are parallel with what's available in the best teaching hospitals in London," he said.

"There isn't a single drug that's available in other places that's not also available in Bradford, and they have always been available here. I have to ring the Health Authority to negotiate funding for these new drugs and it has never said no."

The treatment offered to HIV/Aids patients had moved a long way forward, he said.

"HIV isn't anymore a fatal illness. It's not curable, and there's no vaccine, but it's treatable and patients have a reasonable quality of life. The treatment is more user friendly, you only need to take your drugs once a day in many cases, not five times a day.

"The majority will live 15, 20 years - it makes HIV a chronic, manageable illness."

Because of these developments it was vital for people to be diagnosed early, he added.

And he is concerned that members of one at-risk group in Bradford - injecting drug users - may have become infected without realising it.

"There is no point in putting your head in the sand. There might be people out there putting themselves at risk but too frightened to face the consequences.

"In the old days, they might have thought there was no point getting tested. With the treatment on offer now, perhaps it's time for them to try."

Appointments can be made by ringing 365231 (men) or 365232 (women) or just turn up at the clinic (Horton Wing, St Luke's) 10am to noon Monday to Friday; 4.30pm to 6.30pm Tuesday and Friday; 12.35pm to 4.50pm Wednesday.

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