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Mayor Andy Burnham's £1.3m pledge to tackle HIV

Manchester Pride/The Vain Photos Andy Burnham at HIV vigilManchester Pride/The Vain Photos
Andy Burnham wants to link up with a global network to help prevent HIV

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has committed £1.3m to help stop the spread of HIV in the region.

There are currently about 300 new cases of HIV every year in Greater Manchester.

Mr Burnham made the announcement at a vigil for people who have died of Aids-related illnesses which marked the climax of the Manchester Pride weekend.

He said the region would join a global network of cities spearheading the fight against the virus.

Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership said it would release full details of precisely how it would spend the £1.3m later this year,

Manchester Pride/Vain Photos Manchester Pride/The Vain PhotosManchester Pride/Vain Photos
The mayor announced the plan during a vigil for HIV sufferers at the end of Manchester Pride

However, the mayor said the plan would include encouraging more people and clinics to take part in an NHS England trial of the preventative medication Prep (Pre-exposure prophylaxis).

The medication is being made available to 10,000 people over three years.

The plan would also involve a drive for more testing, improved treatment and more work to prevent people transmitting the disease to others.

More than 5,000 people are thought to be living with the disease in Greater Manchester - three times the national average.

The money has come from a £450m devolution fund from the NHS designed to smooth the transition to locally administered health and social care spending.

Mr Burnham said: "Through the extra power we have with health devolution we can now take this step."