Centric Community Projects

Do you know what HIV stands for?

H – Human I – Immunodeficiency V – Virus 

21st November is National HIV Testing week

HIV is a virus that attacks the immune system, and weakens your ability to fight off infections and diseases. HIV is most commonly caused by having sex without a condom.

There are other ways this can be passed on such as sharing infected needles and other injecting equipment and by a HIV positive mother passing it through to the child during pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding.

Currently there is no cure for HIV, BUT there are treatments that enable most people with the virus to live a long and healthy life.

There is a final stage to HIV which is AIDS. But if HIV is diagnosed early and treated then most people will not go on to develop AIDS.

The only way to find out if you have HIV is to be tested! To find out more information and where and how you can be tested check out the NHS website where you will find all the information you are looking for. 

Terrence Higgins Trust who are the UK’s leading charity for sexual health and HIV have started an “It starts with me” campaign. And this year’s celebrity TV Ambassador Dr Christian Jessen is helping them to spread the word that regular HIV testing is good for your health and helps stop the spread of HIV.

People all around the country will be playing their part by getting tested. Also the National HIV testing week in England coincides with European HIV-Hepatitis testing week, so people all across Europe will be joining together to get tested and make a difference.

The Terrence Higgins Trust has been with us at Centric Community Projects for over a year now and we have provided them with FREE space in more than one location such as, Dundee Scotland, Coventry and Croydon in London. By providing this FREE space to the charity we have been able to help them operate and develop further as a charity.

To find out more information about The Terrence Higgins Trust and the campaign please take a look on their website.

A few statistics/figures on HIV:

30,000 Africans have HIV

10 is the years shorter your life could be if you delay testing

75+ years is how long someone with HIV who starts treatment early can expect to live. 

So waste no time and get tested today, spread the word and make a difference!