World AIDS Day 2013 - Mayor of London backs HIV testing

Ahead of World AIDS Day on Sunday 1 December, the Mayor of London is backing the national campaign to encourage more people to get tested for HIV.

Leading HIV organisations Terrence Higgins Trust and the GMI Partnership have been offering testing and advice at City Hall this week.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: 'World AIDS Day is a time to reflect on the memory of those who have died over the past three decades and those individuals and communities living with and affected by HIV. '

'Fear and anxiety about stigma continue to play a part in whether a person will seek advice and get tested, even though knowing your status means you will be able to get the treatments you need to help you stay healthy. An early diagnosis and the right treatment mean people are living with HIV into old age.

'This is of particular concern to London, which is home to almost half the total number of people in the country living HIV – a fifth of them do not know their status, potentially putting their partners at risk. There are over 32,000 people already living with diagnosed HIV and an estimated 10,000 that have HIV but are unaware. London has excellent centres offering testing and advice and getting tested means you can get the treatments and support you need.'

According to Public Health England data for 2012, around a fifth (21,900) of people living with HIV in the UK (98,400) are unaware of their infection. London has the highest numbers of HIV cases in England with over 32,000 (32,499) Londoners living with diagnosed infection, almost half (46 per cent) of all people living with diagnosed HIV in the country. The number of Londoners living with HIV increased by four per cent in 2012 and men who have sex with men accounted for over half of new HIV diagnoses in the capital.