Views

Jacqui Stevenson, Senior Policy, Research and Influencing Manager, reflects on prioritising people's quality of life in HIV policy.

Digital transformation holds real potential for strengthening the UK’s HIV response but only if the right safeguards, investment, and co-production with communities are put in place.

In this important month for the community, in a year that has seen increasing challenges and rollback of LGBT+ rights in the UK and around the world, we asked some colleagues, supporters and allies what Pride means to them in 2025. 

There have been a number of reports of on an HIV criminalisation case in the media this week, describing the man involved as ‘knowingly’ infecting his then girlfriend.

Sexual health remains for most people a sensitive and private matter – if we go to a sexual health clinic we expect the information they record about our sexual behaviour, about the tests we have, any STIs diagnosed and the treatment provided, to be kept confidential.

Today is the final day of AIDS 2014, the 20th International AIDS Conference hosted in Melbourne this week. Despite the devastating start to the conference, with the loss of delegates on board flight MH17, the week has been revitalising for the international HIV community and we end AIDS 2014 with a strong sense of current priorities in the fight against HIV. Here are my four top messages from the conference, and what I think they mean for the UK's efforts to tackle HIV:

At the International AIDS Conference in Melbourne there has been lots of talk about the criminal law can impede the global fight against HIV.

It has been thirty years since the HIV virus was discovered, and despite great progress, more people are contracting HIV in the UK than ever before. In addition, as was true at the start of the epidemic, it is still gay men who are disproportionately affected. Worryingly, diagnoses among young gay men have doubled in 10 years. The lack of progress in reducing HIV transmissions is unacceptable, and urgently requires renewed leadership from local and national government.

Tomorrow is London Pride. NAT will be there marching in the sun (we’re still hopeful). It is an amazing event and, even if it does rain, draws a huge crowd of supporters, there to celebrate successes and campaign for LGBT rights.

Last week the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) issued the first formal guidelines on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a promising new way of preventing HIV transmission. PrEP involves people who do not have HIV taking a daily dose of one or two of the drugs that are used to treat HIV. Studies suggest that this can prevent transmission if the user is exposed to HIV.