National HIV Testing Week 2022
_{posted by Jamie Simmons
on 31st January 2022}

National HIV Testing Week is a great opportunity for you to get tested and encourage others to do the same, particularly those from groups most affected by HIV, including gay and bisexual men and black African men and women.

This year’s campaign follows National HIV Testing Week 2021’s record-breaking success — more people than ever before took action and got tested. It’s crucial that we maintain this momentum as we work towards ending new cases of HIV by 2030.

Regular HIV testing benefits each and every one of us. People can live with HIV for a long time without any symptoms, testing is the only way to know your status. The sooner you know it, the sooner you can get on treatment if needed and avoid passing the virus on to anyone else. Most people will get a negative result but whatever happens, it’s important to know that anyone diagnosed with HIV in the UK can access free treatment and support.

Regular HIV testing also helps to reduce the number of people living with undiagnosed and those diagnosed late. This is vital as 1 in 20 people with HIV are unaware they have it, increasing the risk of passing it on to sexual partners. Additionally, 42% of people diagnosed with HIV in 2020 were diagnosed late—at this point, the virus has already started to damage your immune system.

It’s never been easier to get an HIV test and to get a result quickly—all it takes is a finger-prick test. You can get a test in person or order tests online, with free and paid-for options. Many tests will provide you with a result in just a few minutes.

You can find out more about National HIV Testing Week here: https://www.tht.org.uk/news/na...

Yorkshire MESMAC will be providing testing sessions throughout the week - free, fast, confidential and many of them are drop-in sessions with no need to book in advance. Check out the timetable for your local area: