Health Minister Andrea Leadsom MP, Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner MP and 40 other MPs have tested for HIV to show how quick and easy it is and encourage others to do the same during National HIV Testing Week (until 11 February).
A host of cross-party MPs got tested including Health Minister Andrew Stephenson, Equalities Minister Stuart Andrew and co-chairs of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on HIV & AIDS: Florence Eshalomi, Steve Brine, David Mundell and Baroness Barker.
They were joined by MPs Caroline Nokes, Anneliese Dodds, Daisy Cooper and Nicola Richards. Lloyd Russell-Moyle, MP for Brighton Kemptown, who is living with HIV, also showed his support for getting tested and knowing your HIV status.
The MPs used an HIV self-test, which provided a result within just 15 minutes, and spoke to representatives from charity Terrence Higgins Trust about the range of ways and places to test for HIV.
According to the sexual health charity, it’s estimated that around 4,500 people in England are living with undiagnosed HIV, while almost half (44%) of diagnoses are classed as late. This, the charity believes, is why regular testing is vital.
Free HIV testing kits are available to order during National HIV Testing Week via freetesting.hiv, with the option of a self-test and result within 15 minutes, or self-sampling option where you send a small blood sample to the lab.
Health Ministers Andrea Leadsom, MP for South Northamptonshire, and Andrew Stephenson, MP for Pendle in Lancashire, were pleased to test and support the Government’s aim of ending new HIV transmissions in England by 2030. A short film of the Ministers testing has been shared by the Department of Health & Social Care on social media.
In a release, Terrence Higgins Trust said “The only way to know that you’re living with HIV is by getting tested. Effective treatment means you can live a long, healthy life with HIV and, once the virus is suppressed, HIV can’t be passed on to partners.”
Minister Leadsom, MP for South Northamptonshire, said: “HIV testing is quick, easy and painless. HIV is most commonly spread by people who don’t know their status, so I encourage everyone to get tested as this is the crucial first step to ending new HIV transmissions. During National HIV Testing Week, you can order a free HIV self-test with a result in 15 minutes or a self-test where you send a small blood test to the lab.”
Minister Stephenson, MP for Pendle, said: “It’s great to see how much progress has been made in HIV testing – you can now test yourself for HIV at home from start to finish. It’s important HIV testing is seen as a normal part of looking after our health as we work to end new HIV transmissions in England by 2030.”
Taku Mukiwa, Head of Health Programmes at Terrence Higgins Trust, said: “It’s brilliant to see so many MPs get tested to mark National HIV Testing Week and show everyone just how quick, easy and painless is it to get tested. We want to see HIV testing become a completely normal part of looking after your health with regular testing for HIV seen in the same way as getting a check-up at the dentist. This is also about starting important conversations about HIV because you can live a long, healthy life with the virus – but it all starts with a test.”
Free HIV testing kits are available to order during National HIV Testing Week via freetesting.hiv, with the option of a self-test and result within 15 minutes, or self-sampling option where you send a small blood sample to the lab.