We celebrated World AIDS Day on 1 December. This is a day of reflection for the lives (over 40 million) that have been lost to HIV/AIDS worldwide over the last four decades, as well as to celebrate the huge advances that have been made in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of HIV/AIDS during this period.
For the remaining 364 days of the year the Lanarkshire Blood Borne Virus (BBV) Network continues to work to prevent HIV by raising awareness, providing education and training, and supporting people who are living with and affected by HIV and other blood borne viruses.
As recently highlighted by Dr Nick Kennedy, Lead Clinician, Lanarkshire BBV Network: “We all have a role to play in helping to prevent HIV within our community, we are acutely aware of the lack of knowledge around HIV. HIV should now be regarded as a long-term medical condition that is readily treatable (albeit not curable) with modern therapies. Someone diagnosed with HIV in 2022 can anticipate a normal life expectancy – as long as they have not been diagnosed too late.”
Over the last 14 years the Lanarkshire BBV Network has developed and delivered targeted social media campaigns raising awareness of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
This Christmas and New Year the Lanarkshire BBV Network in partnership with Terrence Higgins Trust Scotland (THTS) are re-running their successful HIV postal testing social media campaign.
The campaign targets young people, the general public and gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men (GB MSM) via a range of social media platforms.
Trish Tougher, BBV Network Manager states: “The importance of testing cannot be over stated. By testing and knowing your HIV status you are able to take the next step to accessing support services and the new, effective treatments that will stop the HIV virus from damaging the body’s immune system. We therefore encourage individuals who feel they may have been at risk of acquiring HIV to take a test.
Normalising routine, regular testing for HIV, and indeed all sexually transmitted infections, should be seen as positive approach to improving one’s sexual health and wellbeing.”
For more information on the Lanarkshire HIV Postal Testing Social Media Campaign go to.
To find out more about the Lanarkshire BBV Network please contact:
Dr Nick Kennedy, Consultant Infectious Diseases/ BBV Lead Clinician, NHS Lanarkshire Nicholas.Kennedy@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk
Trish Tougher, BBV Network Manager, NHS Lanarkshire Trish.tougher@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk
