Brighton & Hove City Council is honoured to be flying the Red Ribbon flag from the town halls for the first time this year to mark World AIDs Day.
Held globally each year on 1 December, World AIDS Day is a chance to show support for people living with HIV and commemorate those who have died from an AIDS-related illness.
The red ribbon is an important symbol of awareness and is just one way to visibly show our commitment to the fight against HIV.
Councillor Phélim Mac Cafferty, leader of Brighton & Hove City Council said:
“40 years ago Brighton & Hove lost our first citizen to AIDS and today we remember all those who’ve died since from an AIDS-related illness.
“Science has transformed the conversation since then. Today people with HIV can live their full life without fear of ever developing AIDS or passing it on – as long as they’re taking medication.
“Locally, the council and NHS work closely with many brilliant local organisations including Lunch Positive, the Martin Fisher Foundation and the Sussex Beacon which continue to place the city at the cutting edge in testing and treatment.
“However, there’s more to do. HIV needs to be viewed in the same way as any other chronic health conditions so that people living with HIV can better access support without additional stigma.
“HIV hasn’t gone away, and we all have a role to play in getting tested regularly to keep ourselves and loved ones safe.”
Working towards zero HIV
Five years ago, Brighton & Hove became the first UK Fast Track City, a global initiative to end HIV as a public health threat.
We’ve made great progress against our goals and new HIV diagnoses continue to fall. 95% of people living with HIV in Brighton & Hove are now diagnosed. 98% of those are on treatment, and of those on treatment 99% have achieved viral suppression.
Read more about the work of the Towards Zero HIV Taskforce.
World AIDS Day events in Brighton & Hove
Candlelight Vigil, New Steine Gardens, 6pm, Thursday 1 December
Everyone is welcome to join the vigil which has been put together by the Community World AIDS Day Partnership to give people the opportunity to reflect on the impact of HIV in our community and includes the reading of names of people locally who have died with HIV.
LGBTQ+ Memorial Quilt Exhibition, Jubilee Library, until 4 December
Throughout the week there’s also a World AIDs Day exhibition at Jubilee Library. Put together by the council’s LGBTQ+ Workers Forum, the Stitched with Love exhibition features a previously unseen handmade panel from the AIDS Memorial Quilt.
Find out more about other events on the Brighton & Hove World AIDs Day Facebook page.
Get an HIV test in Brighton & Hove
- Order a STI self-test kit online.
- Get a free test kit from one of the eight sexual health and HIV digital vending machines in the city.
- Get support, advice, testing and treatment from the Brighton & Hove Sexual Health & Contraception Service
- Get support, advice, testing and treatment from the Terrence Higgins Trust Brighton & Hove
HIV is easy to test for, and treatment is now so effective that that once diagnosed and on treatment, it is impossible to pass on the virus.
The Martin Fisher Foundation has put together a short explainer video to show how we can end HIV transmission.
