Press release
HIV:Reality – World AIDS Day 2009 (1st December)
The reality of HIV in the UK today is the focus of World AIDS Day 2009.
The aim of the day is to present true, and sometimes surprising, accounts of how HIV affects people in the UK and to dispel myths and misinformation.
The slogan for World AIDS Day 2009 is: HIV: Reality
World AIDS Day will give people the opportunity to discover the real stories about HIV in the UK today. Research suggests that public knowledge of HIV in the UK is declining* and understanding the facts is the key to fighting prejudice and protecting people.
The number of people living with HIV in the UK has trebled in the last 10 years, and it is estimated that over a quarter of people living with HIV in the UK don’t know they are infected.
Dr. Peter Elton, Director of Public Health for NHS Bury said; “HIV is still immensely dangerous despite the enormous advances in treatment and increased life expectancy. Unprotected sex exposes people to the risk of contracting HIV. Condoms are still essential in preventing the spread of the disease.”
ENDS
Date: 23rd November 2009
For press & media enquiries: contact Caroline Dearden, Corporate Communications Manager on 0161 762 3106 or email communications@bury.nhs.uk
Notes to editor:
Information sourced from http://www.worldaidsday.org/
*NAT (National AIDS Trust) is the UK’s leading charity dedicated to transforming society’s response to HIV www.nat.org.uk
When someone is described as living with HIV, they have the HIV virus in their body. 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.