Day: February 10, 2013

MindOUT the Brighton based LGBT mental health project are launching a new Wellbeing Project on February 23.

This new project will see MindOut moving outside of Brighton and Hove for the first time bringing 13 years of experiencing in supporting LGBT people with mental health issues to LGBT communities in East and West Sussex.

The project will be launched at Community Base on Queens Road, on Saturday, February 23.

Activities will include:

•          Fun activities with Vince Laws and The Norfolk Dandies (artist and poet)

•          LGB&T Community stalls – such as The Sussex Beacon, Allsorts amongst others

•          Acupuncture – courtesy of Pathways to Health

•          Mindfulness taster course – delivered by Shelia Roche

•          Food – supplied by Lunch Positive

The event will run from 11am – 3pm. It is an open event so everyone is welcome to go along.

For more details click here:

HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) and the Health Protection Agency (HPA) are co-launching a pilot project that will allow gay and bisexual men to access HIV home sampling kits by post.

Men in England are able now to visit the THT website at www.tht.org.uk/postaltest and request delivery of an HIV home sampling kit.

The service is free and confidential. The user is asked to provide a finger-prick of blood, which they then send to the lab for testing. Users should receive their result within a week of them returning the sample, either by text message (if the result is negative) or with a telephone call to provide support and refer them to specialist HIV services (if the result is reactive).

The pilot has been set up to provide an alternative method of testing for men who are unable to access their local sexual health clinic or who want a more private way to test.

Gay and bisexual men remain one of the groups most at risk of HIV infection in the UK. However, one in four gay and bisexual men with HIV is unaware that they have it. This has been identified as a key factor driving the epidemic among this group.

Jason Warriner, Clinical Director at THT, said:

“Currently, we have a big focus on driving down undiagnosed HIV within the gay community. We need to explore every possible avenue to get more men testing more often. Starting to introduce home sampling programmes removes another obstacle to the kind of community-wide focus on testing we need in order to halt the spread of HIV on the gay scene.”

Dr Anthony Nardone, Head of Sexual Health Promotion at the Health Protection Agency, said:

“The Health Protection Agency is supporting this project because, with an estimated one in four HIV positive gay men unaware of their infection, we must encourage more to test at least annually and more often if they have had unprotected sex with a new or casual partner. Ordering a HIV home sampling kit by post makes following this advice even easier. An early HIV diagnosis means timely treatment and a much improved prognosis.”

There were 2,016 confirmed cases of measles in England and Wales reported to the Health Protection Agency (HPA) in 2012, which is the highest annual total since 1994.

The measles cases identified during 2012 have been associated with prolonged outbreaks in Merseyside and Surrey and Sussex, as well as several smaller outbreaks in travelling communities across England and Wales.

The UK along with France, Italy, Spain and Romania accounted for 87 per cent of the total 7,392 measles cases reported throughout the European Union countries up to the end of November 2012.

Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at the HPA, said:

“Coverage of MMR is now at historically high levels but measles is highly infectious and can spread easily among communities that are poorly vaccinated, and can affect anyone who is susceptible, including toddlers in whom vaccination has been delayed. Older children who were not vaccinated at the routine age, who may now be teenagers, are at particular risk of becoming exposed, while at school for example. 

“Measles continues to circulate in several European countries that are popular with holidaymakers. Measles is a highly infectious disease so the only way to prevent outbreaks is to make sure the UK has good uptake of the MMR vaccine, and that when cases are reported, immediate public health action is taken to target unvaccinated individuals in the vicinity as soon as possible.”

 

Symptoms of measles include:
• cold-like symptoms
• red eyes and sensitivity to light
• fever
• greyish white spots in the mouth and throat
• After a few days a red-brown spotty rash will appear. It usually starts behind the ears, then spreads around the head and neck before spreading to the legs and the rest of the body.
 

Dr Ramsay continued:

“Measles is often associated with being a disease of the past and as a result people may be unaware that it is dangerous infection that can lead to death in severe cases. Parents should ensure their children are fully protected against measles, mumps and rubella with two doses of the MMR vaccine. Parents of unvaccinated children, as well as older teenagers and adults who may have missed MMR vaccination, should make an appointment with their GP to get vaccinated.
“If you are unsure if you or your child has had two doses of the vaccine, speak to their GP who will have a record.”

For a copy of the full report click here: