HEALTHCARE workers marked World AIDS day on Saturday, December 1, in a bid to raise awareness of testing and to end stigma of the condition.

Staff at Bevan Healthcare celebrated how far testing and treatment have come since the 1980s and commemorated those who have lost their battle with HIV and AIDS.

They have also created a human World AIDS day ribbon in solidarity with those who have HIV across the district and their families.

Dominic Maddocks, outreach coordinator at Bevan Healthcare, organised the commemoration and said: “The work done to tackle HIV and AIDS has led to HIV diagnoses falling - meaning the spread of the virus is slowing down.

“But we cannot be complacent and people still face discrimination for their status. There are still people living with HIV across the district and, although there is no cure, there are effective treatments to control the infection.

“Nearly half of people whose test is reactive are finding out they have HIV very late, meaning the virus may have damaged their health permanently.”

Access to HIV care and treatment in the UK are much more successful than they used to be, helping people with HIV to lead as normal a life as possible.

Figures show one in four people with HIV do not know they have it but they account for 75 per cent of new transmissions.

To find the closest HIV test see aidsmap.com/hiv-test-finder