A CAMPAIGN next week will encourage as many people as possible to be tested for HIV. A York doctor and a man living with the virus tell health reporter Kate Liptrot why there’s nothing to be lost – but potentially a lot to be gained - from taking the test.

JACK Wilson* was 28-years-old when he was told he was HIV positive.

He remembers the York surgery seemed to slow down around him as the reality of his test results sank in.

“Part of you is very scared, it’s a life changing moment,” Jack said, “You go through all the questions in your mind, it feels like you will never rationalise what you have been told.”

But despite the bombshell of that moment Jack said he knew a HIV diagnosis was not the frightening prospect it used to be. And reflecting years on, he said he now knows his life as a happy, healthy and professional person has continued unaffected.

Until his diagnosis, Jack was among some of the 20 per cent of people living with HIV in the UK who do not know they have the virus.

According to NHS figures, at the end of 2012 there were some 98,400 people living with HIV, the majority of which were infected through sex – 41,000 gay and bisexual men and 53,000 heterosexuals.

However, 21,900 of these people had not been diagnosed, which experts say meant they weren’t accessing treatment, potentially putting their long-term health at avoidable risk and, unknowingly, risking onward transmission of the infection.

Jack, who had previously been tested for sexually transmitted infections, had gone to be tested again after a month-long stretch of illness, initially thought by his GP to be glandular fever.

“My gut feeling was something was not quite right,” he said, “I thought I should go and get tested again and see if that was a factor. At that stage I wasn’t even thinking of HIV but I suppose it was there in the back of my mind.

“I went and had a full raft of checks for all STIs, including a HIV test. Two days later I had a call from the clinic saying they wanted me to go in about the tests I had.

“They explained the results had come back positive.”

Jack said he was so well supported by the clinic he stayed for some four hours speaking with staff. “From the moment I found out I was surrounded by so much support. They go through everything and they wait until you have had a good amount of time to take it in.

“I immediately told my partner and close friends and family. I’ve since told more of my friends and I have told work colleagues.”

Jack declines to talk about how he contracted the virus. Now in his thirties, and still with his partner who is not HIV positive, he said he has regular check-ups at the doctors and takes one three-in-one tablet a day, but that otherwise his life goes on as normal. “It’s there and you are aware of it in one sense but you come to terms with it and move on with your life.”

He has since helped to lead counselling sessions for younger people who have been diagnosed and may be struggling to come to terms with the situation.

“At first I felt my input might be quite limited and I didn’t know what I could do. But I think just being there and showing people you can carry on what you did before was reassurance that you don’t have to change anything you just need to look after your health. The feedback was that it helped people move on.”

He is now encouraging people who have perhaps put off getting tested to have a HIV test during National HIV Testing Week, which runs from November 22. During this time some clinics are offering test results within 20 minutes.

“Taking the test allows you to know what you need to know,” he said.

“You think it’s something that can never happen to you – it can affect anyone and it’s something we should all be aware of.”

Dr Ian Fairley, a consultant and clinical lead for YorSexualHealth based in Monkgate in York, said the city and the surrounding area has a low prevalence rate of HIV infection.

“We see a range of people – we do get older people, heterosexuals.

“The biggest implication is not knowing you have it and becoming ill. There’s no implication to having a negative HIV test.

“If you‘re diagnosed early it can be as easy as taking one tablet a day. If you know it’s easily treated, there are minimal side effects and people can live a long and healthy life and it can prevent further transmission.

“The simple message is – there are no down sides to testing. There are no insurance implications, a negative test won’t be held against you. You can have children, you can have a normal life,” he said adding that none of the children born in York with HIV positive mothers had transmitted the virus due to the treatment they had been given.

National HIV testing week next week is a campaign co-ordinated through HIV Prevention England (HPE) to encourage key populations most affected by HIV to consider taking a test. These groups include gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.

- During HIV Awareness Week anyone who would like to take a HIV test is invited to have one at the YorSexualHealth Clinic in Monkgate. During this week of November 22 to 30, HIV test results will be routinely available within 20 minutes. To book an appointment, call 01904 721111.

*Name has been changed to protect identity


Factfile

HIV is a virus most commonly caught by having sex without a condom. A condom is the most effective form of protection against HIV and other STIs.

HIV can also be passed on by sharing infected needles and other injecting equipment, and from an HIV-positive mother to her child during pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding.

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. The virus attacks the immune system, and weakens your ability to fight infections and disease.

There is no cure for HIV, but there are treatments to enable most people with the virus to live a long and healthy life.

AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection, when your body can no longer fight life-threatening infections. With early diagnosis and effective treatment, most people with HIV will not go on to develop AIDS.

HIV is found in the body fluids of an infected person, which includes semen, vaginal and anal fluids, blood and breast milk.