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Summary of the 66th meeting of the Chief Medical Officer's Expert Advisory Group on AIDS (EAGA)

  • Published date:
    22 March 2002

The Expert Advisory Group on AIDS (EAGA) held its 66th meeting on the 15 November 2001. At that meeting the following items were discussed:

Lookback studies involving HIV-infected health care workers

EAGA received an update on the work of the joint EAGA/UKAP Working Group and the criteria setting subgroup which both met during October 2001. EAGA endorsed a change in policy to selective patient notification following a risk assessment after identification of an HIV-infected health care worker, as recommended by the joint Working Group. Further work on developing revised guidance would be taken forward by the joint EAGA/UKAP Working Group.

Blood donor deferral criteria

Men who have ever had sex with another man are currently asked not to donate blood, i.e. to self-defer. Members discussed at some length an analysis of the effects of relaxing this deferral criterion on the safety of the blood supply. The decision to maintain the status quo and to keep all the criteria under review was taken elsewhere (by the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Blood and Tissues for Transplantation). It was agreed that the authors of the analysis would meet with organisations representing both the donors affected by the deferral criteria and patients (recipients) in order to inform the next review of the blood donor deferral criteria.

Generic and disease-specific standards - Antenatal testing for infectious diseases

EAGA learned that the generic and HIV-specific standards on which they had commented previously would shortly be posted on the UK National Screening Committee's website for consultation. At EAGA's request, a specific question about whether women arriving in labour should be offered an HIV test was to be included as part of the consultation process, as opinion was divided as to the acceptability and feasibility of this practice.

HIV and infant feeding

The Group was asked to consider whether the recently issuedHIV and Infant Feedingguidance should be amended to strengthen the advice to avoid breastfeeding for HIV-positive women newly arrived from abroad. It had been suggested that poor nutritional status among new arrivals might make breastfeeding a particular risk to their own health. While EAGA were content to leave the guidance unchanged, they agreed to keep the research under review.

Funding of the voluntary sector - an overview

Members received a report on the rising demands on the voluntary sector for provision of social health care for people affected by HIV. It was agreed that the report should be updated and its scope broadened to reflect HIV promotion work undertaken by the major voluntary sector organisations. The next step would be to submit this as part of the feedback on the National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV consultation.

Prevalence of resistance to antiretroviral drugs

A presentation was given by the Head of the PHLS's Antiretroviral Susceptibility Reference Unit covering drug resistance in patients on treatment for HIV infection and in untreated seroconverters. The continued upward trend in the proportion of seroconverters infected with resistant virus was of concern as individuals on treatment are infecting others through unsafe sex.

Pneumococcal vaccine

At the request of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), EAGA reviewed the current recommendation for pneumococcal vaccination in individuals with HIV infection. Their comments would be fed back to the JCVI to assist in the ongoing revision of the DH guidanceImmunisation against infectious disease.

Ethics of the Unlinked Anonymous Surveys

EAGA concluded its review of the Unlinked Anonymous Programme. They commended the programme as an important component of HIV surveillance. It provided essential public health information, which was used, for policy on HIV and as part of the evidence base, which could not be obtained by any other means. Members welcomed the steps outlined for raising awareness of the public health value of the surveys at participating clinics.

Post-exposure prophylaxis for HIV

EAGA received an update on the work of the Working Group, which had been reconvened to address the issue of offering post-exposure prophylaxis to patients in the unlikely event of an infected health care worker bleeding into a patient's open wound. It was agreed that the membership of the Group would be widened to include representation from a patient organisation and the voluntary sector.

Report of the work of the UK Advisory Panel (UKAP) for Health Care Workers infected with blood-borne viruses

EAGA was updated on the HIV/AIDS related work of UKAP.

Sexual Health and HIV Strategy

The consultation on the Strategy would run until 21 December and a number of nation-wide consultation events were to be held during this period.

Notes to editor

1. Terms of Reference of the Expert Advisory Group on AIDS:

The Expert Advisory Group on AIDS (EAGA) is an advisory non-departmental public body which is non-statutory. It was established in 1985 "To provide advice on such matters relating to AIDS as may be referred to it by the Chief Medical Officers of the Health Departments of the United Kingdom". The Group meets three times a year and there have been 66 meetings to date. It currently has 21 members. Fixed terms of office are for three years and no member should serve more than two three-year terms. The Group has agreed to publish summary reports of meetings in the interests of openness and transparency.

2. Membership of EAGA:

  • Dr Pat Troop (Chair) Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health
  • Dr Raymond Brettle, Consultant Physician, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road EDINBURGH, EH4 2XU.
  • Dr Jose Catalan, South Kensington and Chelsea Mental Health Centre, 1, Nightingale Place, LONDON, SW10 9NH
  • Dr Andrew Freedman, Senior Lecturer in Infectious Diseases, University of Wales
  • College of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Heath Park CARDIFF, CF4 4XN
  • Dr Jeremy Hawker, Consultant, Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (West Midlands), Lincoln House, Heartlands Hospital, BIRMINGHAM, B9 5SS
  • Dr David Hawkins, Consultant Physician ,John Hunter Clinic, St Stephen's Clinic, 369 Fulham Road, LONDON, SW10 9TH
  • Professor Donald Jeffries, Department of Virology, St Bartholomew's and the Royal London School of medicine and Dentistry, 48-53 St Bartholomew Close, West Smithfield, LONDON, EC1A 7BE
  • Dr Margaret Johnson, Consultant Physician, Dept of Thoracic Medicine, Royal Free Hospital, Pond Street, LONDON, NW3 2QG
  • Mrs Diana Kloss, Barrister and Senior Lecturer, University of Manchester, Faculty of Law, Oxford Road, MANCHESTER, M13 9PL
  • Professor Michael Levin, Professor of Paediatrics, Department of Paediatrics, St Mary's Hospital, Praed Street, LONDON, W2 1NY
  • Mr Paul McCrory, LONDON
  • Mr Roger Marwood, Consultant in Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Women's Services Unit, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, 369 Fulham Road, LONDON, SW10 9NH
  • Professor Marie-Louise Newell, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Institute of Child Health, 30 Guildford Street, LONDON, WCIN 1EH
  • Mr Nicholas Partridge, Terrence Higgins Trust Lighthouse, 52-54 Grays Inn Road, LONDON, WC1X 8JU
  • Professor Robert Pratt, Director, Centre for Sexual Health & HIV Studies, Wolfson
  • Institute of Health Studies at Thames Valley University, 32-38 Uxbridge Road, Ealing, LONDON, W5 2SU
  • Mr Bernard Ribeiro, Consultant Surgeon, Basildon & Thurrock General Hospital NHS Trust, Basildon Hospital, Nether Mayne, BASILDON, Essex SS16 5NL
  • Dr Alison Rimmer, Consultant, Sheffield Occupational Health Service, Northern General Hospital, Herries Road, SHEFFIELD, S5 7AU
  • Ms Carolyn Roth, Senior Lecturer in Midwifery, City University, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Philpott Street LONDON,E1 2EA
  • Dr Mohsen Shahmanesh, Consultant in GU Medicine, Department of Genito-Urinary Medicine, Whittall Street Clinic, Whittall Street BIRMINGHAM, B4 6DH
  • Dr Surinder Singh, General Practitioner and Lecturer in General Practice, Royal Free and University College Medical School, University College London, Department of Primary Care and Population Sciences, Rowland Free Campus, Rowland Hill Street, London, NW3 2PF
  • Ms Winnie Sseruma, African HIV Policy Network
  • Mr Basil Williams, Mainliners, 38-40 Kennington Park Road, London SE11 4RS
  • Contact:
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    Richmond House, 79 Whitehall
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