The week beginning 1st February 2020 is National HIV Testing Week in the UK, and many organisations will be promoting HIV testing. BLUF is proud to be one of them, through our partnership with the charity Saving Lives.
Through this partnership, people in the UK can order a free home postal HIV testing kit. It will be sent to you in discreet packaging, and all you have to do is prick your finger and drip some blood onto the test sheet, then post it back to Take A Test, where it'll be processed in a certified laboratory, and you'll receive the results by text message. It's a quick and easy way to know your status.
With many people having been unable to have sexual encounters during lockdown, it makes sense to take a test. It can usually take between three and 12 weeks after infection before there are antibodies that can be detected in your blood.
Remember too that, thanks to modern HIV treatments, people who are HIV postive have a normal life expectancy. Even better, have you heard about "U=U" ?
U=U is shorthand for “Undetectable means Untransmittable.” That means that, if you are HIV positive, modern treatments can reduce the level of the virus in your body to the point where it's not detectable. And that means that you can't transmit it to other people - which is another important reason to know your status.
To get your free test, visit the Take A Test website and use the code BLUF21 in the box on the main page. You'll need to fill in some details and answer a few questions, and then your test kit will be sent to you in the post, with instructions and a return envelope. All your information will be treated confidentially; for more details, check the FAQ on the Take A Test website.
BLUF has produced some images to help promote the testing, and if you'd like to share them on your own social media accounts, or add them to your web site, you can download the collection in a zip file