HIV spread in England 'could
be halted within generation'
The campaign will run for two years
There are around 100,000 people living with HIV in England and about 1000 in Nottingham/shire. One person in four does not know they have it.
People in African communities and men who have sex with men(msm) make up three-quarters of cases.
Focused screening and information for high-risk groups could end the epidemic, experts say.
The new It Starts With Me campaign, created by the Terrence Higgins Trust, in Partnership with the African Institute for Social Development(AISD) and many other partners across the country urges people in high-risk groups to get tested for HIV at least every 12 months, and more frequently if they have symptoms or have put themselves at risk by having unprotected sex, for example.
Effective treatment
Sir Nick Partridge, chief executive at the trust, said: "While a cure or vaccine for HIV remains stubbornly out of reach, what many people don't realise is that medical advances mean it is now within our grasp to stop the virus in its tracks.
"By getting as many people with HIV as possible tested and on effective treatment, we should see new infection rates fall rapidly."
He said that to succeed people need to understand that HIV is just as relevant an issue today as it was in 1982.
"Someone, somewhere in the UK is diagnosed with HIV every 90 minutes. Each and every one of us has a responsibility to keep ourselves and each other safe."
