Residents across Dorset are being encouraged to get checked for HIV after testing rates fell.
Figures from the UK Health Security Agency show only 1,450 patients in Dorset were tested in 2021 - just under a quarter of those eligible.
This is significantly lower than pre-pandemic levels: 71.3% of eligible people were tested in 2019.
Across the South West, 130 new cases of HIV were diagnosed last year, including seven in Dorset.
Those at high risk of contracting HIV can take pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, to prevent them from catching the virus.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Sexual health services are recovering to pre-pandemic levels with HIV testing for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men at pre-pandemic levels.
“More people are able to access services more easily and we are diagnosing thousands of sexually transmitted infections faster."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here