James Duddridge, Member of Parliament for Rochford and Southend East, is today wearing the red ribbon, the international symbol of support for people living with HIV, for World AIDS Day.
World Aids Day is marked to raise awareness of HIV and to support people living with HIV, of which there are 85,000 people in the UK and approximately 7,300 people were newly diagnosed last year.
However, HIV awareness groups such as the National AIDS Trust are concerned that one in four people are unaware of having HIV because they have not been tested.
James said:
“World AIDS Day is really important in educating people about HIV to combat HIV related prejudice. But most importantly, campaigns like this raise awareness of HIV and encourage people to get tested.”
ENDS