Around the world, HIV continues to have a huge impact on the lives of millions. But - are we at risk of being complacent in the UK, thinking that it is no longer a public health issue here?
Did you know that, worryingly, new HIV diagnoses in England are on the rise in recent years, after declining since the peak in 2005?
There were 6,008 HIV diagnoses in 2023, an increase of 51% on 2022 and of 56% on 2019.
One contributing factor is that testing rates for HIV are falling, particularly amongst heterosexual people1.
But testing is SO important if we are to end HIV, as a person can live with HIV for a long time without any symptoms, so can unknowingly pass the virus on. There are currently an estimated 5,200 people living with undiagnosed HIV in the UK2.
And HIV can affect anyone. Testing is the only way to know your HIV status.
It’s never been easier to get tested. You can get results within minutes and can even test at home. Visit https://test.tht.org.uk/finder to find free online HIV testing services in your area.
Another factor in the rising rates of new diagnoses may be that we think HIV is no longer a problem in the UK, so we’re not teaching about it as much as we used to.
According to a recent study by the National AIDS Trust, young people in England seem to have less knowledge of HIV transmission than people aged over 353. This suggests that we are not teaching young people about HIV in schools as effectively as we were a decade or so ago.
Anecdotally, acet UK has observed firsthand over the last 10 years that HIV awareness does indeed appear to be falling amongst young people. We have also noticed that schools aren’t asking us to deliver HIV lessons as often as they used to.
This is despite HIV being the only sexually transmitted infection that is specifically named within the statutory English school RSE guidance.
Young people need up-to-date resources to challenge HIV stigma, and to learn about contemporary routes of HIV transmission and how it can be prevented.
So, this National HIV Testing week, we are launching a new ‘Routes of HIV Transmission’ resource to help teachers and other educators challenge stigma and misconceptions about HIV. It is designed to either form the centre of an HIV lesson or as a refresher for learners who have studied HIV before.
An interactive and engaging learning tool suitable for various learning styles, the resource includes comprehensive facilitator notes and provides accurate and up-to-date information about HIV.
It was developed with input from people living with HIV and HIV charities and has been piloted in dozens of schools with young people, who found it easy to understand and a clear way to learn key facts. Every group we piloted the activity with learnt something new and had myths and stigmas dismantled.
This resource has been designed as a classroom pack, which means you get 16 sets of the activity in a sturdy box so that, in an average UK classroom, learners can work in pairs. Each of the 16 sets has a different colour reverse side so you can easily sort the cards if they get mixed up.
To fund the initial production of the resource, we are launching it as a Kickstarter campaign. So, if you want to be one of the first people to get your hands on it, visit our Kickstarter page here and pledge to buy the resource once we reach our target of 25 pledges.
If you pledge to buy one of the first 25 units, it will only cost you £25 – the lowest price we will ever sell this resource for. That works out at a mere £1.56 for each set of 18 cards!
If you have any questions about the classroom pack, please drop us a message at info@acet-uk.com.
Sources of statistics:
- HIV testing, PrEP, new HIV diagnoses and care outcomes for people accessing HIV services: 2024 report https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hiv-annual-data-tables/hiv-testing-prep-new-hiv-diagnoses-and-care-outcomes-for-people-accessing-hiv-services-2024-report
- Terrence Higgins Trust HIV Statistics 2024 https://www.tht.org.uk/hiv/about-hiv/hiv-statistics
- National AIDS Trust and Fast-Track Cities London (2021) HIV: Public knowledge and attitudes https://nat.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HIV-Public-Knowledge-and-Attitudes.pdf