The Terence Higgins Trust
(THT) is a
UK charity that provides advice and support
about HIV and sexual health more generally.
THT has a lot
of experience of working
with all
kinds
of young people.
Visit their website for advice about safe
sex
and sexual health.
Local campaigners met with MPs and senior primary care trust staff at a parliamentary
event today to raise awareness of HIV and discuss ways to increase HIV testing.
The ‘Testing Local Leadership on HIV’
event, held at the House of Commons, was organised by the All Party Parliamentary
Group on AIDS, Terrence Higgins Trust and NAT (National AIDS Trust), and sponsored
by Gilead Sciences Ltd. Local campaigners met with MPs from the constituencies
with the highest HIV prevalence in England - where at least 2 in 1,000 people
are diagnosed with HIV.
Speakers at the event were Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, David
Borrow MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on AIDS, Neil Gerrard,
MP for Walthamstow and Garry Brough, an HIV campaigner. Issues discussed included
offering testing in a wider range of settings, increasing opportunities for
community based testing and involving GPs more in testing high risk groups,
in particular gay men and Africans.
Over 77,400 people are living with HIV in the UK - more than ever before, but
over a quarter of these people (approximately 20,000) are undiagnosed and nearly
a third are diagnosed late. As well as risking their own health, people who
remain undiagnosed also risk the health of others, as those who don’t
know their HIV status account for the majority of onward transmission.
Sir Nick Partridge, Chief Executive of Terrence Higgins Trust said:
“At the moment, thousands of people with HIV don’t know
they have it, so it’s vital we increase testing. It needs to be quick
and easy to take a test and clinics should be accessible both in terms of
location and opening times. We hope the MPs who came along today will encourage
their local NHS to take action and make HIV testing a priority.”
Deborah Jack, Chief Executive of NAT comments:
“Increasing testing is one of the most significant things we can
do about HIV in the UK. It requires national commitment and local action from
MPs, health commissioners and those at frontline services. Working together
we have a real opportunity to not only improve the health of many people who
are undiagnosed but also to stop the spread of HIV.”
News is included on the IvyRose website to inform visitors
about current health issues, but not to endorse any particular view or activity.
Any views expressed in the article above are not necessarily those of IvyRose
Ltd.. Material in this news item was released by the Terrence Higgins Trust
(THT) on 24 June 2009
and may have been edited (e.g. in style, length, and/or for ease of understanding
by our international readers) for inclusion here. For further information, please
visit their website.
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