British Prime Minister Keir Starmer became the first Western leader to publicly take an HIV test on Friday (February 7), in a bid to raise awareness of National HIV Testing Week.
The campaign, which started on Monday (10/2), promotes regular testing and removes the stigma from testing for the virus.
Alongside British soul singer Beverley Knight, Starmer was given instructions on how to take a home test by Richard Angell, chief executive of HIV charity The Terrence Higgins Trust (THT), at 10 Downing Street.
According to THT, the latest UK-wide estimates suggest that around 113,500 people are living with HIV in the UK. Of these, more than 5,200 are undiagnosed and unaware that they are living with HIV.
Starmer's test coincided with a warning from the UN AIDS agency on Friday (7/2) that more than six million people could die from HIV and AIDS in the next four years if US President Donald Trump's administration withdraws global funding for programs.
Despite relief granted to HIV/AIDS programs in last month's freeze on U.S. foreign aid funding, concerns remain about the future of treatment programs, UNAIDS' deputy executive director told reporters in Geneva
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