Today is the start of HIV National Testing Week, where gay and bisexual men are being encouraged to find out their HIV status by getting tested.
By Newsdesk | 22nd November 2013
This year’s event which runs from the 22nd November until 29th November, also coincides with the European Testing week, in the run up to World AIDS Day on the 1st December.
The UK’s biggest HIV and sexual health charity, the Terrence Higgins Trust, are calling for a doubling in the numbers of gay and bisexual men who take an annual HIV test. Their aim is to:
• Increase the numbers of gay men and African people taking an HIV test.
• Raise awareness in the gay and African communities of the importance of testing.
• Increase the number of opportunities to take a test at clinics and in the community.
Figures from THT suggest that there are now 100,000 people living with HIV in the UK, with around 20,000 people living with the infection undiagnosed.
Around one in five (18%) gay and bisexual men with HIV remain unaware that they have the virus.
Paul Ward, the Acting Chief Executive at HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust, said: ‘Reducing undiagnosed HIV is now the single most important step we can take to halt the spread of HIV within the gay community. Within the last year, thanks in part to initiatives like National HIV Testing Week, we’ve seen a large increase in the number of gay men coming forward for testing. This has helped drive down the proportion of undiagnosed HIV in the community. Hundreds more gay men with HIV now know their status, helping them access life-saving treatments and drastically reducing the chance of them passing the virus on.
‘We’re getting there, but we can’t stop now. We’ve never been in a stronger position to beat the virus, with cutting-edge testing services and free, world-class drug treatments for anyone who tests positive. Modern tests are fast, simple and confidential – gay men can even test by post. We fully believe we can turn the tide of the epidemic, but we need to see more men testing, and testing more regularly, to make it a reality.’
Scientists and public health bodies agree that undiagnosed infection is a key factor driving the epidemic. Modern drug treatments drive down the level of virus in the body, often to an undetectable level. This means someone with HIV who has tested and is on treatment is far less likely to pass on the virus than someone who doesn’t yet know they have it. Currently, most onward HIV transmission in the UK comes from people who are unaware they have the infection.
National HIV Testing week commences after Public Health England (PHE) released figures yesterday that showed that HIV infection continues unabated in the MSM (men who have sex with men), gay and bisexual community.
3250 new HIV infections were diagnosed in 2012, up from 3010 in 2011.
Meanwhile a largely unreported fact from PHE suggests that over 490 people per year in England are still dying from HIV related illnesses.
To find out more about THT’s campaign and where you can get tested visit their website: http://www.itstartswithme.org.uk
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