Writing for The Mirror on World AIDS Day, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said huge medical advances mean people with HIV lead long, happy and healthy lives as he said work needs to be done to tackle prejudice
HIV was once a diagnosis that shattered lives, families and communities.
In the 1980s, gay men in particular faced not only a frightening illness but a wall of stigma that left many feeling judged, isolated, and alone. I’ve heard stories from many people who lost sons, daughters, partners, and friends long before their time.
Too many spent their final days without the comfort they deserved, pushed into the shadows by clinical misunderstandings and society’s prejudice.
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We have come a long way since then. Today, people living with HIV can lead long, healthy, happy lives thanks to extraordinary medical advances. And now, we are in the extraordinary position where we can say that in the next five years, ending new HIV transmissions is within reach.
Though it’s a big ambition that will take hard work from this government – to think that we have come this far is profound and humbling. We owe much of that progress to the determined campaigners, charities and advocacy groups who have fought for decades on this.
But despite that progress, it’s clear that stigma still lingers. It still stops people from getting tested. It still makes some afraid to speak openly, even to those they love.
And it still means too many people are diagnosed late, when earlier treatment could protect their health and prevent transmission. That is why our new HIV action plan matters.
It isn’t just the route to making us the first country in the world to end new transmissions by 2030, it confronts the stigma still holding many people back from seeking help.
For the first time, there will be coordinated efforts to find and support people in England living with HIV, who have found it challenging to access care and treatment.
The £170 million plan also continues testing for HIV in everyday NHS settings like A&E, helping more people to be diagnosed early, alongside testing for Hepatitis B and C.
This is about fairness, dignity, and access – making sure every person, whatever their background, can get the care, support, and respect they deserve. With compassion and determination, we can work not just to end HIV but also the prejudice and ignorance that goes with it.
