Gloucestershire NHS is urging people to get tested for HIV
Sexual health services in Gloucestershire are offering free walk-in appointments this week.
Anyone over 16 and living in England can order a free testing kit online this week. It comes as part of HIV Testing Week.
Gloucestershire NHS sexual health services at Hope House are offering walk-in appointments this week to encourage more people to get tested.
NHS Sexual Health Service offers free HIV testing as part of its standard sexual infection screening. Testing for HIV is quick and easy – all it takes is a finger-prick test.
The NHS said testing is really important because people can live with HIV for a long time without any symptoms. Testing is the only way to know your HIV status.
Andrew De Burgh-Thomas’s, sexual health consultant, believes the week provides a great opportunity to remind the public of the help available.
He said: "HIV Testing Week is a wonderful opportunity to highlight the importance of knowing your status, of knowing whether you have HIV or not."
"These days there should be no reluctance to get tested because if you are diagnosed with HIV and take treatment you can become the safest person and represent zero risk to other people."
"But if you don't test for HIV you are a risk to others."
The NHS are reminding the public HIV can affect anyone.
Andrew De Burgh-Thomas, said: "Testing in the sexual health clinic is confidential and doesn't go on your main hospital medical records."
The UK government has set a goal of achieving zero HIV transmissions and zero HIV-related stigma by the year 2030.