Dr Ranj Singh’s 5 tips on making HIV awareness part of your New Year’s resolution
In partnership with Do It London
Struggling to choose a New Year’s Resolution? Dr Ranj Singh has the perfect one: making HIV awareness and prevention part of your daily routine.
Here, the good doctor shares his advice on how we can make the four sure ways to prevent HIV (testing, condoms, PrEP, U=U), promoted by the Do It London initiative, something we can follow all year round.
1 Test regularly to know your status
Firstly, testing is hugely important. It should go without saying, but knowing your HIV status is the first step in keeping yourself and others safe..
Even if you don’t believe you’re at high risk, surprises do unfortunately happen, and sometimes you don’t show or notice symptoms straight away.
Getting tested regularly, especially as part of a general sexual health check, not only keeps you and any partners safe and well, but it also means that you can get treatment early when it is likely to be most effective.
Testing is quick, easy and usually free – and you can even order a test kit anonymously so you can test in the privacy of your own home.
2 Wrap it up
Condoms are a simple and very effective way of stopping HIV being passed between people. In fact, when used correctly and consistently, they can be up to 90% effective at preventing HIV.
Plus, they protect against other sexually transmitted infections (including chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis), as well as preventing unwanted pregnancy.
Free condoms are available from your local sexual health clinic, as well as in many LGBTQ+ venues.
3 Consider PrEP
PrEP is a medicine you can take to stop you catching HIV, especially if you’re having unprotected sex frequently or with multiple partners.
It can be taken in different ways and you would need to have an initial consultation before starting it, as well as regular checks afterwards. Also, it doesn’t protect you against other sexually transmitted infections. Have a chat with your doctor to see if this is an option for you.
4 Get to know U=U
For people living with HIV, getting proper treatment and making sure the amount of virus in your blood (called your viral load) is undetectable means the chances of you passing it on to anyone else are effectively zero.
Yes, you heard that right – zero. You can’t pass it on. That’s why testing and treatment are so important. This is known as Undetectable = Unstransmittable (or U=U) and is something you can learn more about by talking with your doctor or a sexual health specialist.
5 Understand that HIV applies to all of us
Don’t assume that HIV doesn’t apply to you. The days of it being a condition that affects young gay men are long gone. In fact, new diagnoses are increasing in heterosexual people.
Everyone needs to be aware – whether you are heterosexual, older, female or a person of colour. And everyone needs to know that we have really effective ways of detecting, treating and preventing HIV and there are so many choices available now.
Do It London is an HIV prevention and awareness campaign for all Londoners by the London HIV Prevention Programme. The campaign was first launched in 2015 in response to rising rates of HIV transmissions in the capital. Visit doitlondon.org to learn more.
