A TELEVISION campaign in the 1980s showed a volcano exploding and dark clouds looming over a blackened tombstone chiselled with the word AIDS. “Don’t die of ignorance”, intoned a grim voice. Panic about the HIV/AIDS epidemic was widespread. Now better treatment, and better understanding of how the virus spreads, means that HIV is no longer a death sentence. But amid the good news there is cause for concern; among gay men in Britain infections are rising.

According to statistics released on November 18th by Public Health England (PHE), part of the NHS, 110,000 people in Britain were living with HIV in 2013, the highest number ever. But that is cause for celebration. Those infected are living much longer. People are being tested more often and diagnosed sooner. Between 2004 and 2013 new infections among heterosexuals fell by half.

Over the same period, however, the estimated annual number of new infections among men who have sex with men rose by a third, to 3,250. Some 13% of gay men in London are living with HIV. Compare that to San Francisco; the prevalence is higher—fairly static at about 24%—but the rate of new diagnoses is falling. In London, it is rising. This is partly explained by better testing. But reckless behaviour is also to blame.

“Chemsex”—taking drugs, especially crystal methamphetamine, GBL, or mephedrone, just before or during sex—is the chief innovation. Such drugs fuel sex binges, enabling people to have sex for longer, risking trauma and abrasion, and with a greater number of partners. Both increase the risk of transmission. The internet makes it easier to meet casual partners. David Stuart of 56 Dean Street, an NHS sexual-health clinic in Soho, says the centre sees around 100 gay men every month who use drugs for sex. Most have not had sober sex in six months, he says.(Economist)

翻译：

20世纪80年代有一个这样的电视画面：火山喷发，乌云密布，天空下一座黑色的墓碑上刻着“AIDS”(艾滋病)字样。一个冰冷的声音反复出现“不要死于无知”。人们对艾滋病的惶恐情绪迅速蔓延。而今改善的医疗技术以及对艾滋病毒传播途径更为详细的理解都使艾滋病不再是死刑的代名词。但是伴随着好消息而来的也有些令人担忧的情况：伦敦男同性恋者中艾滋病感染率上升。

11月18日英国全民医疗服务下属的英格兰公共卫生部门(PHE)公布的数据表明，2013年伦敦艾滋病毒携带者有110,000人，创下历史新高。但是也有值得庆祝的事情：这些艾滋病毒携带者的寿命将延长。人们接受检测的频率增多，也能更快得到治疗。2004年到2013年异性恋者之间的艾滋病感染新增人数减少了一半。

然而，同期相比，男同性恋者中的艾滋病感染新增人数增至3250，增加了三分之一。伦敦13%的男同性恋者携带有艾滋病毒。相比之下的旧金山，患病人数就略高一些—大约保持在24%左右—但新诊断的人数所占比率在下降，而在伦敦，这个数量却有所上升。很大程度上得益于更精准的病情监测。但是轻率地行径同样是病患人数上升的一大祸源。

“化学性爱”——在性爱前或性爱后服用毒品，尤其是冰毒， 伽玛丁内酯(GBL)或是甲氧麻黄酮——是主要的诱因。此类药物刺激性欲，延长人们性爱时间，与大量的同伴性爱更易造成外伤和擦伤，二者都增加了艾滋病传播的几率。网络让人们更容易接触到随意的性爱伙伴。迪恩街56号英国全民医疗服务性爱健康诊疗中心的大卫·斯图尔特说，该中心每月大概会接待100位借助药物进行性爱的男同性恋。大多数在最近的六个月内都是服药性爱。