PEOPLE are being encouraged to take a HIV test early - to increase their chances of living.

New figures show that many Cumbrians with HIV wait too long for a test meaning that treatment is far less effective, said the county council.

Cllr Ian Stewart, Cumbria County Council’s Cabinet member for Public Health, said: "HIV is a dangerous disease if left undiagnosed. Early diagnosis is crucial both to stop the spread of the disease and to begin treatment as early as possible.

“If you think you have put yourself at risk of HIV you should seek medical advice and have a test as soon as possible. The earlier HIV is detected, the more likely it is that treatment will be successful.”

Although HIV is far less prevalent here than in other parts of the UK, people wait too long for diagnosis. 62 per cent of those who go for a test are deemed late - well above the national rate for the same period (2011 to 2013) of 45 per cent.

Officials say a late diagnosis means the immune system may already be significantly compromised.

Someone who is diagnosed late is 10 times more likely to die within a year of diagnosis, and could have significantly reduced life expectancy, said officials.

The county’s public health chiefs are using next week’s National HIV Testing Week to highlight the dangers of late diagnosis.

It says that while the vast majority of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men do not have HIV, latest data shows the infection route for the majority of all HIV diagnoses in Cumbria was men who have sex with men (56.8%).

Heterosexual contact between men and women is also important and accounts for 33.1% of all diagnosed HIV infections in Cumbria, it said.

The remaining HIV infections come from injecting drug use (2.2%), blood and tissue (2.2%), passing from mother to child (1.4%) with the remaining 4.3% being undetermined, said the county council.

Many people (but not all) who are infected with HIV experience a short, flu-like illness that occurs two to six weeks after infection. After this, HIV often causes no symptoms for several years.

It is estimated that a quarter (26,100) of people in the UK living with HIV are unaware of their infection.

Health experts say this has implications for wider public health since these people don’t know they have HIV, they are not accessing treatment and care. As a result, their long-term health is at avoidable risk and, they remain at risk of passing on their infection if having sex without condoms.

HIV testing is available free of charge from sexual health clinics and GP surgeries across Cumbria, or call Sexual Healthline Cumbria on 0845 371 4037 to be directed to a service near you.

To protect against HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, health officials suggest people always use a condom.

For more information on HIV visit www.nhs.uk/conditions/HIV