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WORLD AIDS DAY 2020 TOOLKIT #GOPRICKYOURSELF

THE ASK

To mark the week of World Aids Day, Love, Sex, Life LSL is calling on residents of Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham in ordering a home sampling kit for HIV. This is where you collect a saliva sample or small spot of blood at home and send it off in the post for testing. The process to order a test is very simple and takes just a few minutes on the Sexual Health London website. Join us!

Ordering a home test is very discreet. The process is led by a professional clinical team who will communicate the progress of your order and test results confidentially either over the phone or by text.

If you or anyone you know is unable to order a home test kit for whatever reason, local sexual health clinics remain open. See a list of available local services here for residents of the London boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham.

GETTING A HIV TEST

A simple blood test can detect HIV. The test may not pick up an infection from a recent risk/exposure but it is highly accurate if performed four weeks after your last risk and is almost 100% accurate if you test 8 weeks after your last risk. This means, depending on the level of recent risk, and if your initial test was negative for HIV, it may be advisable to repeat the HIV test again after this 4 to 8 week “window period.”*

For most people, getting regular HIV and STI tests is part of looking after your health, a form of self care. However, many people still don’t think they are at risk of HIV. But if you’re having unprotected vaginal or anal sex or share needles, you carry the risk of acquiring the virus.

PrEP is now available to anyone over the age of 16 who is at risk of HIV infection. You can add your name to the waiting list of your local clinic or sexual health service to access PrEP as soon as possible.

Ordered your own test? We've put together some steps below to help increase the amount of people getting tested for HIV over the next week or so.

STEP ONE

You can share one of the posts below about how simple it is to order yourself a HIV and STI test online. Don't forget to tag @lslsexualhealth so we can reshare your posts.

Go prick yourself on #WorldAidsDay2020. #GoPrickYourselfHIV @lslsexualhealth https://www.shl.uk

Getting tested for HIV is simple. I've ordered my test! Have you? https://www.shl.uk/ @lslsexualhealth #GoPrickYourselfHIV

STEP TWO

If you're feeling creative, record and share a video of yourself ordering a test online on Sexual Health London. Post your video on Twitter or TikTok, and don't forget to use the hashtags #WorldAIDSDay #GoPrickYourselfHIV.

STEP THREE

Share the message below on WhatsApp and in any other groups you are part of.

Getting tested for HIV is simple. I've ordered my test! Have you? https://www.shl.uk/ #GoPrickYourselfHIV #WorldAIDSDay

DID YOU KNOW?

  1. London is the first city in the world to diagnose, treat and virally suppress 97% of people living with HIV. However, inequalities persist. The London boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham have the highest rates of HIV in England. 8,700 people across the three boroughs have tested positive for HIV. In the London borough of Lewisham, heterosexual contact is the most common exposure type (54%) of those diagnosed with HIV.
  2. As a result of a combination of prevention methods among gay and bisexual men, 2019 saw a fall of 18% in HIV diagnoses in that demographic in one year and 47% compared to 2014 – especially in London, where new diagnoses decreased by 54% in these five years. Diagnoses in women however only declined by 4% in the past year. Women account for 28% of new diagnoses in 2019.
  3. After 6 months with an undetectable viral load the chances of passing HIV on to someone else are very low. If you test negative, you have more prevention tools available today to prevent HIV than ever before.
  4. A person living with HIV and on antiretroviral therapy (known as ART) can achieve an undetectable viral load which means that they cannot transmit the virus to their sexual partner. U=U means "Undetectable = Untransmittable."
  5. If you are pregnant, you should be tested for HIV so that you can begin treatment if you're HIV-positive. If an HIV-positive woman is treated for HIV early in her pregnancy, the risk of transmitting HIV to her baby can be very low.

ENDING THE STIGMA

Love, Sex, Life LSL found that 30% of women and 21% of men would not seek HIV testing because of stigma. We can all play our part in reducing this stigma, including learning about the treatment methods available for anyone living with the virus. The availability of PrEP on the NHS, which is a medicine for HIV negative people that is taken before sex, means anyone taking it can reduce the risk of acquiring HIV when taken as instructed.

PREP

PrEP is a drug taken by HIV-negative people before and after sex that reduces the risk of getting HIV. In England it is available as part of a trial. It is also available in Scotland and Wales. PrEP is now available for free on the NHS in England from sexual health clinics. Initially, PrEP was made available to 10,000 people in England as part of the IMPACT trial, which ended in July 2020.

About the Love, Sex, Life Partnership

Love, Sex, Life LSL is a Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) partnership committed to delivering high quality, culturally sensitive sexual health services and education for BAME people across Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham. We create safe and accessible sexual and reproductive healthcare; we tackle stigmas and taboos; and promote culturally sensitive services.

We want a future where equity in Sexual and Reproductive Health is realised for all members of our community, who feel empowered to engage and proactively access services that are right for them. The service was commissioned by the Lambeth, Southwark, and Lewisham boroughs and is led by Brook, Shape History, NAZ and the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust. You can read more about our sexual health strategy here.

*figures based on 4th generation serology test