Though rates of HIV/AIDS in Scotland are rising, people in the nation are the least knowledgeable about HIV/AIDS of all individuals living in the UK, BBC News reports (bbc.co.uk, 1/17).

The National Aids Trust has called on the Scottish government to invest in a public awareness program to help raise the level of knowledge about the disease.

In a recent study, the trust found more than 25 percent of Scots failed to identify the following four methods of HIV transmission: unprotected sex between a man and a woman, unprotected sex between two men, sharing a syringe when injecting drugs and mother-to-child transmission through breast-feeding.

“The lack of awareness and understanding about HIV in Scotland is worrying,” said Deborah Jack, chief executive of the Trust. “HIV rates in Scotland continue to rise. These results show we cannot afford to be complacent about HIV education and awareness.”

Between 4,500 and 5,500 people in Scotland are living with HIV, according to the BBC News report.