Terrence Higgins Trust launches campaign to tackle undiagnosed HIV in gay men

For World AIDS Day (December 1) Terrence Higgins Trust is launching a new campaign aimed at raising awareness of the levels of undiagnosed HIV in gay men. The campaign, ‘THIVK you’re still negative?’ will include adverts in gay press, condom packs, posters and scratch cards.

The aim of the campaign is to get men to consider if they have HIV without realising. The Health Protection Agency estimate up to 10,000 gay men in Britain have HIV without knowing. Many gay men are still being diagnosed late, at the point where they should already be on treatment. Late diagnosis brings a much higher likelihood of serious illness and premature death, it can reduce treatment options and obviously has an effect on onward transmission of the virus.

"A lot of gay men who’ve had unprotected sex assume they’re still HIV negative but thousands who make that assumption are wrong...."

Marc Thompson, Deputy Head of Health Promotion at Terrence Higgins Trust said “A lot of gay men who’ve had unprotected sex assume they’re still HIV negative but thousands who make that assumption are wrong. Some are relying on an old test result or just presume that their partners would tell them if they had HIV. With around a quarter of gay men with HIV unaware they are infected it’s a dangerous presumption. We hope this campaign will encourage men to think about their risk and if necessary, consider getting tested so they know for sure.”

Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) and partner organisations will be taking the campaign into gay bars and clubs over World AIDS Day. The materials include information on how long on average gay men remain undiagnosed before testing positive, the possibility of sexual partners having HIV without knowing and the risk of undiagnosed men telling sexual partners that they don’t have HIV.

THIVK is a CHAPS campaign, funded by the Department of Health. CHAPS is a partnership of community-based organisations, co-ordinated by THT, which carry out HIV health promotion work with gay men in England and Wales.

Men who would like to talk to someone about their own risk and the chance they may have HIV can call THT Direct on 0845 12 21 200. Details of testing clinics can also be found on www.tht.org.uk

LIVING WITH HIV: Did you know....?

..... MORE HETROSEXUALS ARE LIVING WITH HIV THEN HOMOSEXUALS IN THE UK?

Hetrosexual

52%

Gay & Bisexual men

43%

Unknown

5%
100%

This information is based on the Health Protection Agency’s estimate of the number of people living with HIV in the UK in 2006: 36,400 heterosexuals and 30,100 gay & bisexual men.

......OVER HALF THE PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV ARE WHITE IN THE UK?

White

52%

Black African

36%

Black Caribbean

3%

Other/unknown

9%
100%

This information is based on the Health Protection Agency’s figures for the numbers of HIV positive people who were accessing HIV care in the UK in 2007: 29,250 white, 20,610 black African and 1,660 black Caribbean.

About 4% of people living with HIV are injecting drug users.

ONLY 1% OF PEOPLE DIAGONISED WITH HIV NOW DIE IN THE UK

In 2006 about 1% of people with HIV died. This is about the same as for the UK population as a whole, however the average age at death of people living with HIV is lower than that for the general population.

Nevertheless, somebody newly diagnosed with HIV today can expect a near-normal life expectancy if they are diagnosed early and receive treatment.

In 1997, 4.7% with HIV died, five years later in 2001 it was only 1.8%. Now that rate is less then 1% despite the fact that more people now have HIV.

INFORMATION FROM www.nat.org.uk

 

What Is The Difference Between HIV & AIDS?

HIV

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. HIV infects and gradually destroys an infected person's immune system, reducing their protection against infection and cancers. Initially, someone living with HIV may show no symptoms of HIV infection as their immune system manages to control it. However, in most cases their immune system will need help from anti-HIV drugs to keep the HIV infection under control. These drugs do not completely rid the body of HIV infection.

HIV affects the ability of your body's immune system to fight off infection. If the HIV is left untreated, it will destroy a type of white blood cell called CD4 T-cells, which play an important role in your immune system. 

The number of CD4 blood cells that you have is called your CD4 count. The lower your CD4 count is, the more likely you are to show signs of illness. However, a low CD4 count is not an illness in itself. Some people remain well when their CD4 counts get lower, at least for a while. Other people with HIV may start developing symptoms before their CD4 count is lowered.

What to look out for

Common symptoms of HIV infection, especially as your CD4 counts get lower, include:

These symptoms can all be caused by conditions other than HIV, and do not mean you have AIDS. However, if you experience all or some of these symptoms persistently, it might be a good idea to get an HIV test, especially if you think you may have been at risk of HIV infection.

AIDS

AIDS is short for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. AIDS is not a single disease or condition. Instead, it is a term that describes the point when a person’s immune system can no longer cope because of the damage caused by HIV and they start to get one or more specific illnesses. People do not actually die from AIDS; they die from the cancers, pneumonia or other conditions that may take hold when their immune system has been weakened by HIV. The term AIDS is now very rarely used. It is more usual to talk of late-stage or advanced HIV infection.

INFORMATION TAKEN FROM www.tht.org.uk

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