Cases of HIV transmission in the UK will be eradicated by 2030 through improved methods of prevention, detection, and treatment, according to Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock.
The £600,000 funding – supplied by Public Health England’s HIV prevention innovation fund – will be used to enact 13 new schemes in the UK in efforts to reduce the stigma surrounding the virus, and the risk of infection entirely.
A plan will be set in motion – targeting those who are most at risk of infection – with prevention being the main objective.
The UK has dedicated a lot of resources in the fight against HIV thus far; preventing deaths & infections, and funding technology & research.
People with HIV in the UK have managed to live full, normal lives due to ground-breaking antiretroviral treatment, causing fewer people to become infected – the number of those diagnosed has plummeted by 28 per cent over the last two years alone.
HIV testing is vital in detecting the infection and preventing those who are unaware they have it from passing it on. Screenings increased by 15 per cent between 2013 and 2017.
Hancock has stated: “HIV and AIDS are challenges that we must rise to. The injustice, the unfairness and the sadness they have brought and bring to this day must be tackled by us all.
“My generation grew up knowing AIDS was a potential death sentence. That doesn’t have to be the case anymore. Thanks to medical breakthroughs, public health campaigns, breaking down stigma and better education, AIDS is no longer a death sentence here. I feel proud that Britain has made such progress.”
Everyone must work together to fight the plight of STIs like HIV, do your part today and contact Harrow Health Care about an STI screening. Find out more at https://bit.ly/2D4uavz.
