Good day chaps! I hope you’re all coping well with life in lockdown and not too disheartened at the fact you can’t go out for a wild encounter between the sheets!
Since the start of lockdown, it’s true that many people haven’t been having sex with new partners (abiding by the government rules), which has meant fewer people have been exposed to HIV.
With this in mind, NHS professionals at Axess Sexual Health are backing a campaign called ‘Break the Chain: Time to Test’ aimed at identifying almost everyone who has HIV before the restrictions are lifted and we become more sexually active again.
How will this help?
When a person first contracts HIV, they’re very infections and more likely to pass on the virus than at any other stage of having the disease.
One of the huge problems with HIV and transmission is that it can take up to 8 weeks before the infection is picked up through testing and during this time, it can spread without presenting any symptoms.
Gody Seminega, an Outreach Prevention worker at Axess Sexual Health:
“We have an unprecedented opportunity to stop HIV transmissions. If those who test positive start effective treatment straight away, the virus will become undetectable and they will no longer be at risk of passing it on. I would encourage anyone who thinks they may be at risk of HIV to get a free, confidential testing kit.”
How living with HIV has changed
There was a time when contracting was categorised as being practically life-ending – I actually recently published a piece on how the stigma has changed if you fancy a read chaps.
Last year Welsh rugby player Gareth Thomas bravely spoke out about life with HIV and proved that life with HIV can be a long and happy one – he managed to complete a 140-mile Ironman triathlon whilst living with the disease– hats off to you Gareth.
With a bit of luck, initiatives such as ‘Break the Chain: Time to Test’, will contribute to HIV awareness and prevent what could potentially be millions of people from contracting the disease. I say, hear, hear to that!
Until the next time chaps!