'Give HIV the finger' in Blackpool this week

Millions of people across the UK are being encouraged to ‘give HIV the finger’ this week, as the virus which once ignited a crisis of epidemic proportions slowly slips from the public’s collective minds.
HIV Testing Week campaigners in Blackpool this weekHIV Testing Week campaigners in Blackpool this week
HIV Testing Week campaigners in Blackpool this week

Throughout the 1980s, HIV and resulting AIDs infections devastated LGBT communities, with deaths continuing to rise throughout the 1990s.

Today, thanks to modern medicine, the virus, which is usually spread by sex, but also by sharing needles, and by positive-testing mothers to babies during pregnancy, can be easily detected and managed.

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Blood tests provided by the NHS or charities such as the Terrence Higgins Trust can be completed at home and sent off for testing at a laboratory, and people diagnosed with HIV can live long, full lives by taking prescribed pills daily.

This, however, was not always the case.

Kitty Alessi, regional manager for the LGBT Charity based on Talbot Road, Blackpool, said: “I would like to think we have come a long way from where we were. I remember it being on the news, and it being called the gay disease.

“I grew up in a Christian household and my parents were very much against gay men and women. There was the attitude that any illness was God’s way of punishing them.

HIV Testing Week campaigners in CleveleysHIV Testing Week campaigners in Cleveleys
HIV Testing Week campaigners in Cleveleys
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“I remember thinking, even as a child, how ignorant that was.

“I would say we have come a long way in terms of testing and treatment. The stigma seems to be far less. It may still be there, but people aren’t as vocal about it as they once were. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but it’s one they tend to keep to themselves.”

She added that some people were still ignorant about HIV, which is believed to affect around 106,890 people living in the UK today, according to the Terrence Higgins Trust.

Many are unaware that a HIV-positive person cannot transmit the virus through sex or pregnancy as long as they take medication to lower their viral load.

A HIV test pack, including a plastic blood vial, antibacterial wipes, lancets, a laboratory card, a sealable envelope and a set of instructionsA HIV test pack, including a plastic blood vial, antibacterial wipes, lancets, a laboratory card, a sealable envelope and a set of instructions
A HIV test pack, including a plastic blood vial, antibacterial wipes, lancets, a laboratory card, a sealable envelope and a set of instructions
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And some people still believe HIV is a ‘gay disease’ (AIDs was once known as ‘gay-related immune deficiency’) which cannot be spread between heterosexual partners.

In fact, the number of new HIV diagnoses among heterosexuals is now higher than gay and bisexual men, according to new figures for England from the UK Health Security Agency.

Nearly half of all new HIV diagnoses during 2020 were in heterosexuals (49 per cent), compared to 45 per cent in gay and bisexual men.

Kitty said: “Yes, there is still ignorance, and there are still assumptions - but the information is out there. Sexually transmitted diseases are taught in schools; it’s being made public knowledge.”

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Nina Beavers, LGBT officer for URpotential on Central Drive, which runs the Rainbow Flag education award for local schools, said: “HIV is still with us, although it’s treatable now and there’s fewer deaths from it. We still educate our young people and raise awareness every December 1, which is World AIDs Day when we think about the people we have lost to it.

“A lot of young people are aware of it, but it’s something that’s not really talked about.

“The TV series ‘It’s A Sin’ has brought it to the forefront, and we had some very powerful conversations about it and it was really a hot subject for a while.

“Young people today are amazed at how people were treated back when the HIV epidemic was really devastating our community. Some of the images they remember the most was the way patients were treated in hospitals.

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“I remember the first reports of HIV coming out, and Margaret Thatcher was in power at the time, and not long after that she introduced Section 28, which took away the possibility of having these conversations in schools. This had a massive impact at the time on people’s education about it.

“Thankfully things have improved, and places like Horizon in Blackpool are here to support people with HIV, and it’s not considered as much a ‘gay plague’, which is what people used to call it.”

“IF YOU HAVE NEVER HAD A HIV TEST, THIS IS THE WEEK TO DO IT”

The Horizon alcohol, drugs and sexual health support service on Dickson Road, Blackpool is supporting HIV Prevention England and promoting National HIV Testing Week, which runs until February 13.

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Anthony Harrison-West, sexual health manager at Horizon, said: “As we all work hard to reach the Government target of ‘no new infections by 2030’, testing has never been so important. It is estimated that there are still over 5,000 people living in the UK with HIV, that do not know they have it. It is vital that we find these individuals and that receive treatment.

“With today’s treatment, those living with HIV can live a normal life and, with effective medication can reach an “undetectable status”, which means that they cannot pass on the virus to anyone else.

“If you have never had an HIV test, then this is the week to do it. There are so many options to test from home too.”

You can obtain a full sexual health screen, including HIV testing, by post by visiting lancashiresexualhealth.nhs.uk/fulltestme. Free HIV tests can also be ordered from FreeTesting.HIV.If you are worried about HIV or your general sexual health, then call sexual health services in Blackpool on 0300 1234 154 or speak to a practitioner at Renaissance UK on 01253 311431.

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