Rochdale MP Tony Lloyd encourages people to give HIV the finger and order a free self-testing kit

Rochdale MP, Tony Lloyd is encouraging people to order a free HIV self-testing kit at home during lockdown as part of National HIV Testing week.

National HIV Testing Week – a national event in the first week of February – comes just two months after the national HIV Commission report provided a blueprint to end new cases of HIV by 2030, a commitment made by several political parties.
 

Read more: National HIV Testing Week launches in Greater ManchesterPublished: 01 February 2021

In Greater Manchester, 43.8% of HIV diagnoses come at a late stage, which is associated with greater risks to health. It is estimated that 745 people in Greater Manchester are unaware that they are living with HIV. It is recommended that people with multiple sexual partners get tested every three to six months and people with one partner should test once a year.

Taking a test is the only way to know if you have HIV, and modern HIV treatment will stop you from getting seriously ill, enable you to live a normal life, and prevent you from passing the virus on to anyone else. 

PrEP – Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis – is taken by a person who doesn’t have HIV, to reduce risk of infection. Conversely, PEP – Post-Exposure Prophylaxis – is a strong combination of HIV medicines which can help stop you getting HIV after potentially being exposed to it.

Since the virus was identified in 1984, more than 35 million people have died of HIV-related illnesses. Nearly 37 million people are living with HIV today with over 101,000 of those in the UK, but, despite huge medical advances in treatment, HIV remains a highly stigmatised medical condition.

6,700 people are estimated to be living with HIV in the UK but remain undiagnosed.

 

 

Mr Lloyd said: ‘HIV does not discriminate and everyone can take action by regular testing and being HIV aware.

"With early detection someone with HIV can expect to live as long as someone who is HIV negative. Anyone can order a free HIV self-testing kit.

"HIV and AIDS treatment and outlooks have progressed massively these decades on. The fear and stigma surrounding the early years of HIV/AIDS is powerfully told in a ground-breaking new Channel 4 series – It’s a Sin.

"And it is a sin that the stories of those devastated in those years have largely been untold until now. But it is up to us to take that story into a brighter future and end HIV transmissions within this decade."

Mr Lloyd added: "Anyone living in England can order a free HIV self-testing kit online from Public Health England.

"The kit arrives in a plain envelope, and results are available a few days later."

Self-testing kits can be ordered by clicking here.