A NEW display in Ashton-under-Lyne’s indoor market is encouraging people to talk openly about HIV, challenge stigma and learn the facts about modern treatment.
The installation for World AIDS Day is on show throughout December.
Created by Tameside Council’s Public Health team, it was launched with an information event, where red ribbons were handed out to visitors wanting to show solidarity.
Shoppers and passers-by were invited to stop and chat with representatives from George House Trust – a Manchester-based charity supporting people living with HIV.
Much of the display focuses on how dramatically HIV care has advanced. Early diagnosis and medication mean the virus can be suppressed to undetectable levels – a stage where it cannot be passed on during sex or from mother to baby.
The message, known as Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U), is already a reality for most local patients, with 97 per cent of people receiving treatment in Tameside having an undetectable viral load.
The borough’s prevalence stands at 2.17 per 1,000 people aged 15 to 59, and a quarter of new diagnoses are still made late, when health problems have already started.
The display makes clear that HIV does not discriminate. While gay and bisexual men continue to be affected, heterosexual men and women also account for new diagnoses nationally.
“Effective treatment means people diagnosed early can live long and healthy lives, and it also prevents transmission,” said Councillor Taf Sharif, Tameside Council’s Executive Member for Population Health and Wellbeing.
“We want to normalise HIV testing and show support for everyone living with HIV in Tameside.”
Despite major progress in treatment, the council says stigma continues to deter some people from seeking help and the market display aims to open conversations that often remain unspoken.
Anyone wanting confidential advice or looking to book a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) test online can contact Locala on 0161 507 9460 or visit locala.org.uk/services/sti-online-testing