World AIDS Day - 1 December 2022
The following information is shared with thanks to our Pride Staff Network.
World Aids Day is recognised internationally, to commemorate those who have passed away due to AIDS/HIV, and to fight the stigma behind the virus - as well as to raise awareness of the ways that HIV can be transmitted.
In the U.K. alone over 105,000 people today live with HIV. Many of them now live a full life thanks to modern day treatments.
Medicine to treat HIV has advanced dramatically over the years. People who take treatment for the virus cannot pass it on, and it cannot be passed on through day-to-day contact.
The latest survey reports on HIV show that 21% of gay men living with HIV have been discriminated against at work. There is a huge stigma against AIDS/HIV and gay men in particular, but the virus can be passed on to anyone.
However, overall gay and bisexual men are still disproportionately impacted by HIV in comparison to heterosexuals - which is why, each year, the Pride Network aims to spread awareness to the LGBTQ+ community in particular.
HIV is not the threat it once was - provided you get tested, learn what symptoms to look out for, and are aware of available treatments should you get HIV.
HIV test kits are free, which you can get by visiting the It Starts With Me website >
For further information about World AIDS day, you can visit the World AIDS Day website here >