Record number of HIV tests taken in Westminster in support of Halve It campaign
A record number of MPs took part in the Halve It campaign today by having HIV tests in support of World AIDS Day.
On Wednesday 27 November, the Halve It campaign hosted a parliamentary World AIDS Day event in Committee Room 15 of the House of Commons.
A record number of eleven MPs took an HIV test in support of the campaign, including Shadow Minister for Public Health Luciana Berger. A further 30 parliamentarians signed a pledge in support of the campaign.
Halve It is a national coalition campaign that aims to halve late diagnosis and undiagnosed HIV in the UK by 2015. Its members represent a large number of high-profile organisations.
The eleven MPs who took part today were: LucianaĀ Berger, MP forĀ Liverpool Wavertree,Ā PaulĀ Uppal, MP forĀ Wolverhampton South West,Ā TomĀ Brake MP forĀ Carshalton & Wallington,Ā AlecĀ Shelbrooke, MP forĀ Elmet & Rothwell,Ā EricĀ Ollerenshaw, MP forĀ Lancaster & Fleetwood,Ā StephenĀ Mosley MP forĀ City of Chester,Ā GrahamĀ EvansĀ MP for Weaver Vale,Ā MikeĀ Gapes MP for Ilford South,Ā RussellĀ BrownĀ Dumfries & Galloway, CarolineĀ Lucas MP forĀ Brighton Pavilion and KerryĀ McCarthy MP forĀ Bristol East,
Ms Lucas, who is giving the opening speech at the World AIDS Day event on Brighton Level this Sunday, said: āSadly, Brighton and Hove continues to haveĀ the highest rate of HIV infection in the country outside London.Ā Early testing and diagnosis are key to combating this epidemic, which is why I chose to be tested today. We need to remove the stigma around HIV testing.
In England, the late diagnosis level is 50% whereas in Brighton & Hove it is much lower at around 30%
3,250 gay and bisexual men were diagnosed with HIV in 2012, the highest annual figure since the start of the epidemic.
