For the past few years I’ve been supporting World Aids Day and the work of the magnificent Terrence Higgins Trust charity in raising awareness of and combatting the rise in sexually transmitted infections. This is an issue I feel very strongly about and especially here in the south west we need to break the silence when it comes to HIV and other STIs and ensure that there is proper prevention, testing and treatment available for all.
Today I’m pleased to be able to sign up to support Terrence Higgins Trust’s pledge to prioritise sexual health if I’m elected as the next MP for South West Devon. The pledge reads:
“I pledge to support better public health in the UK through earlier diagnosis of HIV and sexual ill health and by improving public understanding of the issues.”
In the UK, there are more people living with HIV and other sexually transmitted infections than ever before. It is estimated that new diagnoses of HIV in 2008 alone will go on to cost the government £1.1billion in medication and care. Meanwhile a quarter of the 83,000 people living with HIV in the UK don’t know that they have it because they haven’t tested yet. To protect people’s health we need to test undiagnosed people with HIV so that they get timely treatment to stay healthy and can take steps not to pass on the virus. We also need to make sure people better understand sexually transmitted infection and practise safer sex. Not exactly a catchy paragraph for my leaflets but an important issue nonetheless and one that deserves a much greater focus by politicians.
I’m pleased to support the good work of THT. Have a look here at the session I ran with THT helping people use social media to spread the word about fighting HIV and other STIs.
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