Over 50s at particular risk of HIV and AIDS

Monday, 09 March 2009

An article published in the World Health Organisation's bulletin has revealed an increase in the numbers of people over 50 at risk from the AIDS virus.

World health experts said that older people tend to have more unprotected sex than do their younger counterparts. Unfortunately public health campaigns tend to target the young, neglecting the older population.

The article gives as a reason for the increased sexual activity in older people the increased availability of popular erectile dysfunction medications such as Viagra and Cialis.

One of the nine authors of the article, Dr George Schmid said: "It's certainly true that we in public health concentrated our attention and efforts in terms of the AIDS epidemic and screening on younger individuals because those are the ones who are at most risk."

He explains: "But it doesn't mean that people who are 50 and older are at no risk, and we think there is an under-appreciated number of individuals in that age group who are becoming infected."

Unfortunately, government health surveys seldom take older people into account and the subject is rarely broached between patients and doctors who are often embarrassed and often don't feel the over 50s are at risk from the AIDs virus. Greater openness would lead the way to earlier diagnosis of older people.

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