Many people in Cumbria who have been identified with a need for a HIV-preventative drug do not have a prescription, figures show.

The drug, called PrEP, is taken either daily or before and after sex which can block HIV if it gets into the body, and is available for free through sexual health clinics.

Sexual health charity the Terrence Higgins Trust said PrEP services and HIV testing must be made more accessible to meet the Government's goal of eliminating new HIV transmissions by 2030.

Those eligible for the drug include people assigned male at birth who are HIV-negative and who have sex with those same people, and people whose partner is HIV positive and is not virally suppressed.

Eligibility also extends to those who have partners from parts of the world where the virus is common, and to sex workers.

For the first time, UK Health Security Agency figures show that 176 people were identified with a need for the drug in Carlisle, yet just 95 of them had a prescription in 2021.

In Copeland, there were 36 out of 65 people, and in Allerdale, there were 55 out of 97.

This is below the level across the Northwest where 5,888 people used PrEP – 62 per cent of those in need of it.

Kat Smithson, National AIDS Trust director of policy, said ‘too many’ people who want PrEP are struggling to get it as sexual health services are increasingly under pressure and underfunded.

She added: “As well as a need for investment to engage new groups with PrEP, access in community settings, such as pharmacies and GPs, need to be leveraged to increase its reach."

Overall in England, nearly 27,000 of the 88,000 people identified with a need for the HIV preventative drug did not have a prescription for it.

Cumbria County Council’s director of public health, Colin Cox, said: “We are working towards the goal of having no transmission of HIV happening within Cumbria.

“Pre-exposure prophylaxis can be a very valuable way of preventing transmission of HIV among particularly high-risk groups.

“If you are in contact with sexual health services and are offered PrEP I would urge you to take up the offer, both to protect yourself and potentially to protect other people”.

Professor Matt Phillips, associate medical director and clinical lead for sexual health services for North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Trust said: “Testing and treating is the key to ending HIV transmissions.

“Effective treatment helps people to live long, healthy lives with HIV and means they can’t pass the virus on.

“People can use PrEP if they are at higher risk of HIV to protect themselves from catching the virus. 

“We are able to offer this in our clinics across Cumbria.

“It is a personal choice and if you are at higher risk of HIV I would urge you to come and have a chat with us in confidence.

“We can help you make an informed choice about whether or not PrEP is right for you.”

READ MORE: Tickets still on sale for mayor's charity ball