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Annie Howard, HIV Confident Programme Manager, shares how HIV Confident is helping organisations turn awareness into action for Zero HIV Stigma Day.

James Cole, Senior Policy, Research and Influencing Manager, shares why the UN Political Declaration on HIV must reinforce UK action at home and abroad.

Reflections on the proposed social media ban and the role of social media for young people living with HIV.

February has been LGBT History Month, and this year’s theme, ‘PSHE, Law and Citizenship’, reflects historical achievements (2017 is the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of male homosexuality in England and Wales) but also the continuing struggle for equality.

Following the news that Glasgow will open the first safe injecting rooms in the UK, Daniel Vincent asks if we’re doing enough in England and Wales to meet the health needs of people who inject drugs.

“It is time for us to step up and acknowledge that stigma and discrimination still act as the greatest barrier to us defeating this disease once and for all.”

In March 2015, Simon Stevens, Chief Executive of NHS England, announced the first national diabetes prevention programme. Reflecting on the potential for the NHS to reduce the future costs of diabetes care by supporting people to lose weight, exercise and eat better, he said that "if these results were from a pill we'd doubtless be popping it

Some readers will recall the campaign NAT led at the end of 2014 to prevent national HIV prevention spending being cut by 50%. We were successful – and last year in 2015/16 the overall amount spent by central government remained more or less stable at £2.4 million. But what now are the plans for the current year, 2016/17? NAT wrote to Public Health England (PHE) to find out. One thing is clear… not enough is being done in England to prevent HIV transmissions.

For many in HIV advocacy addressing stigma is the Holy Grail.

Many, if not all, of the factors that drive the HIV epidemic are embroiled with stigma. The impact it has on the lives of people living with HIV is well documented. In a recent survey of over half of people living with HIV reported feelings of shame, guilt, low self-esteem and self-blame; one in five had experienced verbal harassment or threats.1

Stigma should be our top priority, yet we have not identified concrete strategies for reducing it. So why do we find stigma so difficult to tackle?

NAT responds to the Government announcement of a NICE Evidence review on PrEP

Jane Ellison MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health, announced on Tuesday 7 June in the House of Commons a NICE Evidence Review to look into the case for PrEP, and in particular its cost-effectiveness. The review should report in advance of the previously announced £2m pilot towards the end of the year, and will apparently feed in to that pilot.

In 2014 3,346 people across England and Wales died because they had a drug overdose. This is the highest number since records began and in England this represents a 17% rise from the previous year, a dramatic deterioration of the situation for people who use drugs in this country.

In early 2015 we wrote to David Cameron ahead of the General Election to ask his party to support statutory and LGBT inclusive Sex and Relationships Education (SRE). The response we received from our now re-elected Prime Minister was telling. Despite the topic of the original letter, the response had no mention of the terms LGBT, gay, trans* or same-sex relationship. Even the term SRE was removed – he referred to PSHE only. It was a sex-less response.