World Aids Day December 1st 2011

This Thursday will be the annual World Aids Day December 1st and this year Men’s Sexual Health has teamed up with Swindon Tesco. The team will be spending the day at Tesco Extra, Ocotal Way, with a big display offering a large selection of posters, leaflets and selling red ribbons to those who would like to show there support to the cause. The team will be on hand to offer advice on a range of sexual health issues and providing guidance on reducing risk of HIV transmission.

They will be continuing to promote last year’s successful campaign of ‘Respect the Ribbon, Wear a Condom’  at other venues across Swindon, such as the colleges and popular LGBT friendly venues, Pink Rooms & The Mailcoach.

Globally, the number of new HIV infections as well as deaths related to AIDS have dropped to their lowest levels since the epidemic reached its peak, according to a new report issued by UNAIDS. The authors state that this has been a game-changing year for worldwide fight against AIDS. In comparison to 1997, the rate of new HIV infections has dropped by 21%, while AIDS-related deaths have fallen by 21% since 2005. There are many reasons for the decline including people having fewer sexual partners, using more condoms and, perhaps most importantly, "a massive scale up in access to HIV treatment."

• The number of people living with HIV in the UK has trebled in the last 10 years
• More than 90,000 people are living with HIV in the UK
• Around a quarter of people with HIV in the UK are undiagnosed
• About two thirds of people living with HIV are men and a third are women
• Over half of all people living with HIV are aged between 30 and 49, but there are significant numbers both of young people and older people now living with HIV

• 6,658 new HIV diagnoses
• The two groups most affected remain gay and bisexual men and black African heterosexuals – over three-quarters of people diagnosed with HIV in 2010 were among these two groups
• 3,000 new HIV diagnoses among men who have sex with men — the highest number ever recorded in a year
• 3,350 new HIV diagnoses were acquired heterosexually and more than two-thirds of these acquired their HIV abroad
• Half of adults were diagnosed with HIV at a late stage of infection (after the point at which treatment should have begun)

 All figures from the Health Protection Agency.

• The number of new HIV infections has declined globally by 21% since the estimated peak of the epidemic in 1997
• 2.7 million people were newly infected with HIV worldwide in 2009
• In some parts of the world (particularly within Sub-Saharan Africa) between 15-28% of the population are living with HIV

• 34 million people living with HIV worldwide
• 0.8% HIV adult prevalence worldwide
• 50% of people living with HIV worldwide are women
• 1.8 million AIDS-related deaths

• 2.7 million people diagnosed with HIV
• 390,000 new HIV infections among children
• HIV incidence has fallen in 33 countries, 22 of them in sub-Saharan Africa

 All global figures from UNAIDS

The best protection from HIV transmission remains using condoms for any form of sex, you can get these for free from your GP, Family Planning Clinic, GUM Clinic or from our website for those living in Swindon.

Please help show your support on the days leading up to and including by purchasing a red ribbon and donating money. Ribbons available from us on Dec 1st at Tesco Extra Ocotal Way, Swindon.

For more info on HIV/AIDS visit http://www.hivaware.org.uk/

Published: 28th November 2011 by Matt (updated Thu 21st Jan)