Awareness events for World AIDS Day (From Stourbridge News)

Awareness events for World AIDS Day

9:00am Sunday 29th November 2009

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SUMMIT House Support, which provides free and confidential help to people in Dudley who are affected by or living with HIV, will be marking World AIDS Day this year with a number of awareness events within the borough.

On World AIDS Day on Tuesday, December 1, Summit House Support will be raising awareness about HIV and AIDS to the local community with information stands in the borough between 10am and 2pm at the following four venues: Market Square, Dudley Town Centre.

Stourbridge Library.

Ryemarket Shopping Centre, Stourbridge.

Halesowen College (Students Health Fair).

The charity will also have the support of the Deputy Mayor of Dudley, Councillor Peter Miller, who will be visiting the stand in Dudley Market Square at 11am.

To highlight this worldwide HIV pandemic World AIDS Day each year brings to people’s attention the challenges of HIV and AIDS and raises the issues of preventing the spread of HIV and improving the lives of people living with the virus.

This year the theme HIV Reality for World AIDS Day will focus on the reality of HIV in the UK today with the aim to presenting true and sometimes surprising accounts, of how HIV affects people in the UK and to dispel myths and misinformation, to tackle stigma and discrimination.

“Public knowledge of HIV in the UK is declining and there is a worrying lack of understanding about it” said Suzanne Callen, Chief Executive of Summit House, “For people to respect and protect themselves and others, they need to understand the facts and reality of HIV and hopefully our events this year will help them do this”

The number of people with HIV is continuing to rise with around 33 million people worldwide living with the infection. In the UK there are approximately 80,000 people with HIV, with one in three of them undiagnosed, and the epidemic is still growing with nearly 8,000 new diagnoses in the UK every year.

Summit House Support provide a free and confidential service within a safe and friendly environment for anyone who is HIV positive plus their friends, partners, carers and families.

For further information or for help and advice on HIV and AIDS contact Summit House Support on 01384 243220.

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