Birmingham Heartlands HIV Service’s Lead HIV Consultant appeared on BBC local radio this evening to talk about HIV, stigma and testing – all in light of the news that Charlie Sheen has announced he is HIV positive.
HIV today is a manageable condition – modern medicine means you can live a full, long life. In order to get the best out of the medicine, however, you must be diagnosed early – and that means taking the HIV test. Stigma is still here, however (Sheen has spoken of it today), and can deter people from testing – but late diagnosis has a ten-times higher mortality rate. One in four of those living with HIV in the UK do not know they are infected. People need to feel free to take the test so we can keep them healthy and stop the spread of HIV.
Listen to what Dr Taylor had to say below.
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