This year marks the 10th anniversary of HIV Testing Week, dedicated to raising awareness and promoting early diagnosis.
The campaign also encourages people to be part of the generation that ends new transmissions by 2030 through early testing, treatment, condoms and PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis).
The good news is that testing is free, confidential, quick and easier than ever, and it can be done from the comfort of your home.
All it takes is a fingerpick and results are usually back within a week.
Regular testing offers benefits for everyone. Most people will get a negative result, meaning you can continue to take steps to protect yourself such as using a condom (which can help protect from unplanned pregnancies or other sexually transmitted infections) and using PrEP, if you are at higher risk, to reduce the risk of getting HIV.
People can live with HIV without knowing. Early diagnosis means that you can start treatment, enabling you to live a long and healthy life and access the support that you need. In addition, once someone has HIV, is on treatment and has undetectable levels of the virus, it cannot be passed onto others.
This is known as undetectable = untransmittable.
Walsall residents can order a free kit by going to https://freetesting.hiv
