With rates of HIV infection continuing amongst gay men, responsibility for reducing those rates lies with many different parties, according to a report published this week.  The third edition of Making it Count - a collaborative planning framework to reduce the incidence of HIV infection during sex between men – shows that policy makers, funders, government bodies and gay commercial and community groups all share that responsibility.  The report identifies the roles those parties play and calls for greater collaboration between them. 

The report is launched by CHAPS, the England and Wales-wide gay men’s health promotion partnership co-ordinated by Terrence Higgins Trust, which has been at the forefront of this work
for several years.  This edition of Making it Count has been updated in the light of new research and evidence and as a result of consultation with a wide range of collaborators.

Will Nutland, Head of Gay Men's Health Promotion at Terrence Higgins Trust said: "Sex between men accounted for around 80% of new HIV infections acquired in the UK last year.  Making it Count sets out a framework for national and local activity to work towards reducing the incidence of those infections.  The strategy is more than just the aspirations of the agencies within the CHAPS partnership; Making it Count is now part of the government's National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV as the model for locally commissioned HIV prevention for gay men".
Planning partnership raises the stakes in gay men’s HIV prevention

Ford Hickson of Sigma Research, key author of Making it Count, adds: "An effective and co-ordinated approach to prevention work has never been more important.  Making it Count leaves policy and decision makers in no doubt of the need to continue to invest in health promotion work for gay men."

Making it Count is being accompanied by The Field Guide, a new publication. The Field Guide assists health promoters in applying Making it Count to their work with homosexually active men.

Ends

Notes to editors

• Making it Count and The Field Guide can be downloaded from www.tht.org.uk/gaymen, orby calling Andy Ball on 020 7816 4643

• Making it Count is published by Sigma Research

• The Field Guide is published by Terrence Higgins Trust

• The CHAPS partnership is co-ordinated by Terrence Higgins Trust and partners include:

• Sigma Research

• GMFA

• Lesbian and Gay Foundation (Manchester)

• Trade (Leicester)

• Yorkshire MESMAC

• Terrence Higgins Trust in Brighton, Bristol, Birmingham and Wales

• Making it Count was first published in March 1998. The second edition was published in August 2000