West Lancashire drag queen calls for better education on HIV
"Being HIV positive in the world today is really quite easy, apart from the stigma", they said
West Lancashire drag queen star Charity Kase is calling for better education around HIV in schools to tackle the stigma.
It follows the government announcing a ÂŁ23 million pound strategy to ramp up testing and make sure people get better access to faster treatment on World AIDS Day.
A new HIV action plan is hoping to reduce new infections by 80% by 2025 and end infections and deaths by 2030.
Charity Kase, from the village Rufford, opened up about living with the virus on this year's Ru Paul's Drag Race UK
Speaking to Hits Radio Lancashire, the Rufford drag queen said:
"At the time of filming the show I was taking three pills a day but now I'm taking one pill a day. It's even easier. It couldn't possibly be any more simple. There are so many more illnesses and viruses that take so much more care and so much medication than this. I'd like people to understand how little this affects my life.
"Undetectable equals untransmittable. That means that the medication in my body keeps the virus to such a low extent that it cannot be traced or detected, and therefore it cannot be passed on scientifically."
Charity also said that they believe that the stigma surrounding HIV needs to change, and that more people need to be educated on what living with the virus is like.
"Being HIV positive in the world today is really quite easy, apart from the stigma", said Charity.
"That's another thing we need focus on as well. When cases are being cut down to zero, we need to think about those people that are still living with HIV today. That in some circumstances could increase stigma, because it's a thing of the past.
"Don't stereotype us. Don't stereotype me. There are so many powerful young women with HIV living and thriving in the world today. The fact that the only representation we have in the UK on our media is gay men is just pushing that stereotype that same we've been taught. We need to broaden that representation."
ÂŁ23m HIV Action Plan
The UK currently has one of the biggest decreases in HIV diagnoses, with a 35% reduction in new HIV diagnoses in England between 2014 and 2019.
Part of the ÂŁ23m HIV Action Plan involved scaling up HIV testing in high-risk populations where uptake is low to ensure new infections are identified rapidly.
This will include expanding opt-out testing in A&E departments backed by an additional ÂŁ20 million over the next three years.
Additionally, the funding will be spent to ensure that people rapidly receive treatment to stop them transmitting the infection further and increase their chances of living a long, healthy life as well as supporting everyone living with HIV to stay in treatment.