World AIDS Day takes place annually on 1 December each year to raise awareness of HIV.

You can wear a red ribbon to show your solidarity with people living with HIV and to remember those lives lost.

Medical advances mean people with HIV in the UK can expect a long and healthy life and that we have the tools to stop HIV transmissions for good. People on effective treatment can’t pass on HIV.

HIV can affect anyone no matter what your gender, age, sexuality, or ethnicity. In the UK, around half of people living with HIV are gay and bisexual men and the other half are straight people. But HIV continues to be highly stigmatised and misunderstood with some people experiencing discrimination, including in work, education, housing and even healthcare.

We are working with sexual health service providers to reduce the stigma around HIV and to bring down the number of people who are undiagnosed or who get a late diagnosis in our borough. Early diagnosis and testing significantly reduce the risk of future HIV transmission and change the course of HIV from a fatal infection to a manageable condition.

Testing can be easily carried out with just a quick, easy and painless finger-prick test. HIV testing needs to be increased to find the estimated 4,400 people living with undiagnosed HIV in the UK.

Find out more about how to access HIV testing in our borough at your nearest confidential Sexual Health Service.

Sexual Health Services on offer in Bexley include:

• testing for STIs (sexually transmitted infections) including rapid HIV testing - You can also order a free self-test kit to do at home
• advice on a wide variety of contraception methods e.g. free condoms, the pill etc - The best way to prevent HIV & STIs is to get tested regularly and to use condoms to protect yourself if you are sexually active with new or casual partners