Act Aware this World AIDs Day

HIV specialists in Northamptonshire are asking everyone to Act Aware this World Aids Day and make sure they know their HIV status.

There has never been an easier time than now to find out your HIV status. Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s sexual health service holds clinics every weekday, Monday to Friday, in Northampton and Kettering, where people can have a test for HIV or any other sexually transmitted infection. There are also satellite clinics in Daventry, Brackley and Corby. 

The tests are free and confidential, and people can either drop-in or book an appointment. 

With more than 700 registered patients in the county, Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has one of the fastest-growing HIV clinics in the country.

Dr Mohamed Ghanem, Northamptonshire NHS Foundation Trust's consultant in HIV, said: “It is so important to be aware and to act aware of HIV.

“Many people do not understand all the ways HIV is transmitted, how it can be prevented, and the reality of living with HIV today.

“Although there isn’t a cure for HIV, modern treatments have come a long way. People diagnosed with HIV today can have a normal life expectancy and live healthy and productive lives. 

“Lots of people with HIV work and their HIV do not affect their working life, and with the right medical help, the vast majority of HIV positive women can give birth to healthy uninfected babies. 

“People should not be afraid to have an HIV test – the earlier treatment starts, the better the outcome.”

Experts estimate that there are approximately 90,000 people living with HIV in the UK, and more than a quarter of these people do not know they have the virus.

HIV is a virus that attacks the body's immune system - the body's defence against disease. It affects all ages - one in six people living with HIV in the UK is over 50. Last year one in ten people diagnosed was aged 16 to 24.

A person is considered to have developed AIDS when the immune system is so weak it can no longer fight off a range of diseases with which it would normally cope.

HIV can be passed on through infected blood, semen, vaginal fluids or breast milk. The most common ways HIV is passed on are:

Sex without a condom with someone living with HIV

Sharing infected needles, syringes or other injecting drug equipment

From an HIV-positive mother (to her child) during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding.

Treatment can keep the virus under control and the immune system healthy. If HIV is diagnosed late, treatment may be less effective.

Always use a condom when having vaginal or anal sex. You may also want to use a condom or dental dam during oral sex although the risk of transmission of HIV is much lower. 

Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust's sexual health clinics offer free tests for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, free condoms and advice on safe sex. If the results show that you are infected, we also offer comprehensive treatment and support locally at the Summers Unit, which is based at Northampton General Hospital and the Ashwood Centre at St Mary’s Hospital.

The county’s main sexual health departments are at the Ashwood Centre for Sexual Health, St Mary’s Hospital, London Road, Kettering, and the Department of Sexual Health, Area R, Northampton General Hospital.  Call 01536 410647 or 01604 637203 for appointments and more information about local sexual health, HIV and contraceptive services, or visit: www.nht.nhs.uk.