Just weeks after announcing that rates of HIV infection among gay males in the U.K. have taken a turn for the worse, the U.K.’s Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) is on the verge of being splintered up, according to the London Times.

The news is causing concern that the monitoring of public health issues will suffer at a critical time in the history of the U.K. HIV epidemic. The PHLS discovers and tracks diseases and epidemics in England.

“Although this country is respected internationally for its work on infectious disease prevention, control and surveillance, the problem of infectious disease is never static and the modernization of these services is vital if we are to continue combating the existing risks and make effective plans for the future,” said a Department of Health spokeswoman.

In a five-year study of 15 clinics across England and Wales, serving 33,000 gay men, the PHLS discovered that one in 50 males (about two percent of the gay population) become infected every year.

This is despite high-profile campaigns by private groups to educate gay men and others on the dangers of not engaging in safe sex practices. Now some are calling for the government to embark on their own safe sex campaign in an effort to reach high-risk groups. Critics cite their inability to do so, as well as their decision to break up the PHLS, as a sign of insensitivity to public health issues, particularly in the gay community.

In an interview with the BBC, Dr. John Parry of the PHLS Central Public Health Laboratory said, "This is a worrying finding because it confirms what we have feared, that 20 years into the HIV epidemic, transmission of this incurable but preventable infection is continuing at a steady rate in gay men."

The PHLS’ study also disproved the long-held assumption that infection rates were higher among men in the 25-50 age range, due to perceived higher levels of promiscuity. Levels of HIV infection were consistent across the board, a statistic that troubles both researchers and safe-sex advocacy groups.

And not only are HIV infection rates increasing among the homosexual population, but other Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) are on the rise as well. According to the PHLS, outbreaks in London helped contribute to a skyrocketing syphilis infection rate among gay and bisexual men by an astonishing 180 percent. In addition, cases of chlamydia saw an increase of 40 percent and reported gonorrhea cases shot up by as much as 20 percent.

Now, before this data has even had time to register with the public, comes the news of PHLS' imminent disintegration. The Times reported that some PHLS staff are upset with the decision to tinker with the agency, and are interested in attempting to resist the government order.

Much of the push for dismantling the network has come from Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson, who has argued that incorporating the PHLS with three other agencies will increase coordination and modernization. Critics of the proposal, however, argue that any merger will only result in a dilution of the PHLS' strengths, especially in the areas of research and responsiveness.

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