Health Matters HIV Nov 2017

HEALTHMATTERS

HEALTHMATTERS

National HIV Testing week 2017

National HIV Testing week 2017

NOVEMBER 16-22, 2017 THE VOICE | 17

NOVEMBER 16 - 22, 2017 PAGES 17-20

Photo credit: Thomas Knights

Photo credit: Thomas Knights

Photo credit: Thomas Knights

LET’S GIVE HIV THE FINGER

18 | THE VOICE NOVEMBER 16-22, 2017

HEALTHMATTERS

National HIV Testing week 2017

“My first HIV test was live on camera for MTV Shuga – it was easy and fast, and not scary at all!”

Photo credit: Thomas Knights

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CTRESS DORCAS SholaFapson, who starred as lead character Sophie in season 3 and 4 of the award winning TV series, MTV Shuga, is lending her support to National HIV Testing Week by encouraging people to get tested .

MTV Shuga looks at the lives of young people who find themselves unexpectedly dealing with various issues and HIV being a main one. The show which is very popular amongst many young people worldwide has helped to improve awareness of HIV, bust myths and get people testing for the virus.

“In places like Nigeria, where MTV Shuga’s season 3 and 4 were set and filmed, HIV can often be swept under the rug. People still wrongly think that you can’t touch or hug people with HIV and that it’s a death sentence, but this is not true. Today HIV is a treatable condition that you can live well with – but you need to test, know you have it and get treatment.

“As a public figure who has had an active role in one of the leading TV programmes on HIV I’m delighted and feel it’s important to be able to encourage people to join in with National HIV Testing Week.”

MAKING A POINT: Dorcas Shola Fapson

National HIV Testing Week, co-ordinated by Terrence Higgins Trust, encourages people, including black Africans, to test for HIV and know their status. Black Africans are disproportionately affected by HIV, with more than half diagnosed late, putting their health in danger.

“I didn’t know much about HIV before my involvement with MTV Shuga,” added Dorcas, who was raised in North London and auditioned for her role while in New York.

“This is because we don’t always have the education and awareness about what HIV is really like in 2017.

But the show really opened my eyes.

Many people think they have a good understanding of HIV, but more needs to be done.”

As one of the faces of the National HIV Testing Week campaign here in the UK, Dorcas is calling for people to get tested during the week, and not put it off.

“My first ever HIV test was live on camera as part of the show. I was a little nervous because I thought they were going to have to take a lot of blood, but in fact it was just a little finger prick – really easy, simple and fast. It’s actually wasn’t scary at all.

“National HIV Testing Week is a

great way to remind people of the importance of testing. You can sometimes forget or put it to one side, but it’s vital. Loads of people will be testing during the week, so you are not alone. Together we can make a change by testing.”

MTV Shuga has won many awards including African Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards 2015. Now in its fifth season, it’s reached over 550 million people. Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o was the star of the first season before her major breakthrough in Hollywood.

“MTV Shuga is all about breaking down the stigma around HIV. I think people can look at my character Sophie and learn from her. She made mistakes that many young people make, and she provides an opportunity to reflect on some of the things they might be doing.”

“The show definitely provokes conversation. A lot of my friends live here in London and I think they tend to view HIV as something that only happens in Africa or within the gay community. However, because the show focuses on normal people from different walks of life people can relate to the characters and understand how HIV can affect anyone, anywhere.”

Raises awareness

N Screening Across South Yorkshire To book your appointment Telephone: 01226 320148 What is a Blood Borne Virus?

Viruses that can be carried in the blood and can spread from one person to another through blood and other body fluids.

The most common BBVs are: Hepatitis C (HCV), Hepatitis B (HBV), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

ational HIV Testing Week promotes HIV testing to some of the most affected population groups in South Yorkshire. National testing week is co-ordinated by HIV Prevention England (HPE) with support and participation from organisations like +me working in the public, statutory and private sectors.

Working in partnership we promote the benefits of regular testing and treatment for both the individual and community.

This time of year raises awareness of the importance of HIV and Hepatitis C testing, as well as increasing opportunities to test, be it in clinical settings, community or primary care. +me offers a free and confidential rapid 15 minute screening service that is community-based in Sheffield, Barnsley and Rotherham. The ultimate goal is to increase regular HIV/BBV (Blood Borne Viruses) testing.

This year, the event starts on Saturday 18 November. +me Positive About Change, Barnsley is a Registered Charity and user-led organisation supporting people living with Blood Borne Viruses in Barnsley, Rotherham, Sheffield and surrounding areas.

MEET THE TEAM: (L-R) Penny, Karl and Jon

The service provides a wide range of support services for people living with or affected by HIV which include: outreach services, individual 1-2-1 support, weekly drop-in services, information and resources, food bank, hardship fund, counselling, complementary therapies, day trips, carers’ drop-in service, yoga classes, benefits advice, advocacy service and training. We also offer a rapid screening service for Blood Borne Viruses; this includes testing for

Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV. It’s a free and confidential service for people living in South Yorkshire. Last year hundreds of clinics and organisations like +me participated by raising awareness, providing extra testing opportunities and promoting services throughout South Yorkshire.

For more information contact: www.plusme.org or telephone 01226 320148

HEALTHMATTERS

National HIV Testing week 2017

NOVEMBER 16-22, 2017 THE VOICE | 19

#HIV TestWeek ADEKUNLE GOLD photographed by THOMAS KNIGHTS

ORDER A FREE POSTAL TEST OR FIND WHERE TO TEST

StartsWithMe.org.uk Produced by Terrence Higgins Trust for .

Terrence Higgins Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales (reg. no. 288527) and in Scotland (SC039986). Company reg.no. 1778149.

20 | THE VOICE NOVEMBER 16-22, 2017

HEALTHMATTERS

National HIV Testing week 2017

Birmingham LGBT gears up for National HIV Testing Week/World AIDS Day:

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ovember 18th -25th is the annual National HIV Testing Week (NHTW) a week before 1st December, World AIDS Day and both are an opportunity for reflection on how far we have come in the struggle against HIV/AIDS. We are lucky to live in a time where things have moved on very much in terms of treatment and HIV clinical care but some things remain urgent.

☞ Fear of stigma and hence fear of testing

☞ Myths about HIV/AIDS ☞ Lack of knowledge about

current progress in the area of HIV treatment ☞ Late diagnosis which affects how well people respond to HIV treatment once diagnosed According to the National AIDS Trust(NAT), the proportion of late diagnoses in 2015 was particularly high among Black African (53%), followed

by Black other (49%), Asian (47%) and Black Caribbean (46%) ethnicities.

Statistically LGBTQIA people from BME communities are even less likely to engage with sexual health services due to barriers such as homophobia, stigma, fear of being judged, social exclusion and social deprivation and yet they tend to be dis-proportionately affected by.

In many BME communities, men who have sex with men may not use the terms ‘gay’ or ‘bisexual’ to describe themselves. Good practice is to use the term ‘Men who have Sex with Men’ (MSM) rather than gay or bisexual men.

At Birmingham LGBT, we are aware of these barriers and have sensitively developed specialist services to help reach out to the African and Caribbean community.

Our BME Health Promotion workers being from the community themselves fully understands the hurdles & barriers that BME LGBT people face in accessing sexual health services and their main role is to encourage greater engagement and ultimately reduces late diagnosis of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) amongst LGBT members of the-Caribbean & African communities.

• A specialist BME Sexual Health Worker • Free rapid HIV tests & general STI creening • Confidential 1 to 1 support sessions with a knowledgeable and non-judgmental specialist sexual health worker • Referral pathways to relevant organisations / health care services in case of a diagnosis • Free condoms and lube • Free discreet condoms by post services • Outreach and STI screening at local community events and venues (on invitation) • A confidential monthly meet-up safe space (DUDEZ) - a safe and non-judgemental space to share experiences with other African and Caribbean and Gay, Bisexual or Questioning Men and to discuss all matters pertaining to sexual health and harm reduction.

For any of the above services, contact us via Telephone: 0121 643 0821 Email: sexualhealth@blgbt.org (We aim to respond to e-mails within 48 hours).

Find DUDEZ on Facebook (Closed Group) by clicking here Contact DUDEZ Group on KIK: DUDEZ_Brum

Free HIV testing kits from SH:24 Digital sexual and reproductive health social enterprise, SH:24 is offering people across the UK a choice of free home HIV self-test or self-sample to better understand what factors influence choice of kit.

HIV testing, prevention and treatment has made huge progress in recent years. Increases in testing and effective treatment as prevention are starting to see results, as in 2016, new HIV diagnoses decreased, despite the same levels of testing (PHE, 2017).

One innovation that is helping is home HIV testing. There are two ways to screen for HIV at home - a HIV self-test where you take a finger prick of blood and get results in 15 minutes or a HIV self-sample test where you collect around 15 drops of blood in a tiny pot and return it to a lab. With either type of test, you get illustrated instructions and can watch a video online which has been proven to help people complete the test.

SH:24 have processed over 200,000 home STI tests since 2015 and have won multiple awards for their service.

People who choose the HIV self-sample test will have their results delivered by text or over the phone by one of SH:24’s trained clinicians and referred for treatment when appropriate. People who select the HIV self-test will also get a telephone call from a clinician as a follow up to the test and appropriate referral if required. All participants can access support from SH:24 at any time. SH:24 will ask participants to complete a short survey to help inform future HIV prevention research and service development at SH:24.

If you would like to order a free HIV test to your door please go to: sh24.org.uk/hivtest