What do you know? World Aids Day Quiz

So, you know December the 1st is World Aids Day and you’ve already got your red ribbon. You even know that the day is about promoting awareness, reducing discrimination and a worldwide opportunity to fight against HIV, but can you answer our World Aids Day quiz?

1. The first World Aids Day was in

a) 1988

b) 1986

c) 1990

 2. What is the specific theme for this year’s World Aids Day?

a) The developing world and HIV prevention

b) Shared responsibility, strengthened results

c) HIV and over 50s

 

3. What has been displayed from the White House every year since 2007 to commemorate World Aids Day?

a) A 28ft ribbon

b) A 50 ft rainbow flag

c) A 34ft tag line of this year’s theme

 

4. Who gives an annual speech for patients and doctors affected by HIV + AIDS?

a) The Queen

b) The US president

c) The Pope

 

5. Who has taken on responsibility for planning World Aids Day since 1996?

a) UNAIDS (Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS)

b) WHO (World Health Organisation) 

c) Nobody – individual organisations and communities assume responsibility

Ever seen one this big? A giant condom on the Obelisco – Buenos Aires to mark World Aid Day 

6. The overall theme for 2011-2015 is:

a) No HIV in Africa

b) Youth, HIV and AIDS

c) Getting to zero

 

7) For the last few years which iconic London landmark has ‘gone red’ for World Aids Day?

a) Big Ben

b) London Eye

c) Houses of Parliament

 

8) Which of these are happening to mark World Aids Day 2013?

a) 5K red run – Victoria Park

b) 56 Dean St HIV testing at G-A-Y bar, Soho

c) GMI HIV testing at Joiner’s Arms,  Shoreditch

9) As of this World Aids Day what is the estimated number of people living with HIV and AIDS globally?

a) 13 million people

b) 27 million people

c) 35 million people

(See here for more info)

10) Which of the following was in the NIH’s (National Institute of Health) 2013 World Aids Day statement?

a) ‘We have reached the point when the thought of an HIV cure is not unrealistic’

b) ‘The thought of an HIV cure, while desirable, is likely to remain unobtainable’

c) ‘In the developed world and HIV cure is now finally possible’

Answers

1A, 2B – see here for info, 3A, 4C, 5A, 6C, 7B, 8A, B + C, 9C, 10A

How did you do? Some of the questions were tough so well done if you managed to get some of the answers right. How does your score compare to that of your friends? Share on Facebook and find out! Here’s this year’s UNAIDS video to mark World Aids Day it’s short, super and informative so take a look.

For World Aids Day we will be at the Joiner’s Arms, Shoreditch from 2-6pm on Sunday. So why not show your support, come along and get tested? Our health trainers are out and about at other locations across the city answering any sexual health questions you might have and providing HIV testing/working with clinics who are testing, just in case you can’t make it along on Sunday. Here’s the info on where we’ll be over the next few days and into next week:

Expectations   (HIV Rapid Testing Clinic) 75 Great Eastern St, London, EC2A 3RY	28 Nov			16:00 – 19:00
	Portsea   sauna and The City of Quebec pub* Marble Arch				16:30 – 20:00
	Chariots   (Shoreditch) Shoreditch				17:00 – 20:00
	Chariots   Vauxhall Vauxhall	29 Nov			17:00 – 20:00
	Chariots Waterloo				17:00 – 20:00
	Ku   Bar (Rapid HIV Testing Clinic) Frith Street, Soho	30 Nov			14:00 – 18:00
	Joiner’s   Arms Hackney, Road, Shoreditch	01 Dec			14:00 – 18:00
	CODE   Clinic 56 Dean Street	03 Dec			17:00 – 19:00
	West   6 Clinic West London Centre for Sexual Health, Charing Cross Hospital				17:30 – 19:30

 The London Eye ‘goes red’ for World Aids Day 

Why mentoring makes successful HIV Prevention

What does effective HIV prevention look like?  Well, there is increasing evidence that a mixed behavioural and biomedical approach is the most valuable approach at reducing HIV infection rates and increasing testing frequency (see here for example). In particular, this research shows that HIV prevention should include structured one-to-one work which is carried out over at least several (and if possible, more) sessions. Programmes that cover a wide range of issues such as those related to culture, family, self-esteem, alcohol and drugs are also seen as vital in current HIV prevention literature (see articles here and here) . Taking such an approach is crucial because the reasons for having unprotected sex and other high risk sexual behaviours are complicated and rarely as straightforward as simply putting on a condom. In addition, research reinforces current thinking that HIV prevention must be client centred, non-judgemental and be linked to participant oriented goal setting.

In a nutshell the description above describes the free mentoring programme we offer at GMI Partnership and this is exactly why it is so effective. The programme is open to gay or bisexual men who live, work or socialise in London and who are having unprotected sex and concerned about the risks they are taking.  Mentees are paired with peer mentors, who are gay/bisexual men who are trained volunteers and together they work through a fun, friendly and interactive programme looking at different areas that might be influencing the sex they are having. These include: being gay, relationships, self-esteem, goal building, drugs and alcohol. The programme does not aim is not to tell mentees what they should be doing, but to provide a safe space where they can explore the reasons for the risks they are taking and to work together to come up with a personalised plan for staying safe in the future. What’s more the programme is completely free, so what are you waiting for?

We are recruiting mentees now, so if you are interested, or no somebody that is please get in touch with Tony at tony@metrocentreonline.org

For more information on the other programmes GMI Partnership offer for gay/bisexual men in London please see our website: http://www.gmipartnership.org.uk/index.html

 

Age is not a Condom: HIV Prevention and the over 50s

It might come as a bit of a surprise, but contrary to popular stereotypes older people do have sex!  Although sexual activity does often decrease with age, a recent American survey showed 73% of 57-64 year olds had had sex in the last year (see here ). Most older people, then, do desire sex and are at risk of STIs, including HIV. Indeed, the age group with the fastest rising number of new HIV infections in the UK, and around the world, is the over 50s group (see here , also see THT video looking at this trend. Before explaining why this might be the case let’s look at the numbers.

The Stats

The number of newly diagnosed HIV cases in the UK peaked at the start around the middle of last decade and have since tailed off. Newly diagnosed cases were round about 8,000 in 2005 and are about 6,500 currently.

The graph is from the NAT website (2013)

 There are two main groups that buck the trend – MSM (men that have sex with men) and over 50s (of any sexual orientation); both of these have seen increasing HIV rates over the last 10 years of so. Perhaps most strikingly is the latter. New diagnoses among older adults have more than doubled between 2002 and 2011 rising from 442 in 2002 to 872 in 2011. As a result of this and of more effective treatment and better survival rates the number of those living with HIV who are over 50 has increased five-fold in the same period from just under 4,000 to just under 17,000 in the same period. The stats also show that those aged over 50 are more likely to diagnosis late for HIV, which can increase treatment complications and reduce life expectancy. (See more info here . For detailed informaiton on ageing and HIV, visit the Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) website ).

HIV in Older People, NAT 2013

Why are HIV rates increasing among the over 50s?

That question isn’t a straightforward one to answer, but there are various ideas why this might be the case. One possibility is that the over 50s grew up in pre-HIV generation where condom use was not as common and are less inclined to use condoms today. Another reason might be a lack of knowledge about HIV transmission by those that are over 50s compared with those that are younger and are likely to have studied this in school and elswhere. There is also the idea amongst some of those that are over 50s that because of their age ‘it doesn’t matter’ if they become HIV positive and any reduction in life expectancy is going to be minimal which might reduce condom use. Another reason is that there is evidence that stigma of HIV/AIDS is greater amongst older people which can lead to less discussion of safer sex. Finally, there is evidence that those who have started having sex with a new partner in their 50s following a divorce or death of a partner are more likely to have unprotected sex, particularly if this is something that they used to do with their previous partner(s)  (see here) . Whatever the reasons, it is clear that HIV prevention targeted at the over 50s is increasingly important in the UK and beyond. General messages so far have focused on the idea that age is not a condom and just by being older you are not protected from becoming HIV positive, such as the poster below.

A New York Health Department Poster ( The Body, 2013).

 

 What approaches should future HIV prevention with the over 50s take? What works and what doesn’t work with this age group? What message needs to be put across to those who are older and sexually active?

The GMI Partnership works with MSM of all different ages who live, work or socialise in London offering free counselling, mentoring and one-to-one sexual health sessions. For more information on our programmes our homepage.

The views in the article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the GMI Partnership.