World AIDS Day - 1st December 2011
‘30 years on’ - HIV in Staffordshire

In 1981, the Centre for Disease Control in the United States published a report about a kind of pneumonia called PCP appearing without identifiable cause in five men in Los Angeles.  PCP is usually only seen in people with compromised immune systems and this report is sometimes referred to as the "beginning" of AIDS even though we now know that HIV had been around for many years before this.

Staffordshire Buddies World AIDS day campaign for 2011 is called ‘30 years on’. In this campaign we aim to raise awareness of HIV and good sexual health through local events and the stories of people living with HIV. There will be events in Lichfield, Stoke-on-Trent and throughout Staffordshire.

30 years on...

• Almost 100,000 people living in the UK have HIV.
• 1 in 4 people with HIV do not know they have HIV
• Around 700+ people are living locally with HIV and this is rising.
• 34 million people in the world have HIV
• There are medications for HIV but still no cure
• The case of the local women infected with HIV became part of the national debate around ‘criminal intent’ and the ‘criminalisation of HIV’ and led to front pages on several national and local newspapers.
• Recent changes in the law protect people living with HIV from discrimination.
• Many people we work with still are in fear of disclosure and the impact of stigma from others.
• More people over 50’s then ever are living with HIV
• Young people are still unaware of HIV and how important good sexual health and well-being is to their future.

Every penny donated through fundraising will go directly to local people living with or affected by HIV in situations of crisis and hardship.

Please do come along to some of the local World AIDS Day events and support the campaign! See our calendar

The Red Ribbon

One way you can raise HIV awareness is by wearing a Red Ribbon. The Red Ribbon has been the international symbolof HIV Awareness since 1991. The Red Ribbon was created by the New York based organisation Visual AIDS, which brought together artists to create a symbol of support for the growing number of people living with HIV in the United States of America. It has since been adopted worldwide.

The Red Ribbon is worn as a sign of support for people living with HIV. Wearing a red ribbon is a simple and powerful way to challenge stigma and prejudice surrounding HIV and AIDS.

We can send you a red ribbon through the post contact us...