British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has made history as the first sitting UK leader and G7 head to publicly undergo an HIV test on camera, encouraging other world leaders to do the same in an effort to address the issue of undiagnosed HIV cases around the world.
In a video published by his office on Monday, Starmer was shown performing a quick HIV home test at Downing Street the previous Friday. This effort was part of a national campaign aimed at promoting testing, backed by the Terrence Higgins Trust and financed by the Department of Health and Social Care.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) estimates that approximately 4,700 individuals in England are unaware that they have HIV. Starmer emphasized the importance of expanding testing to identify cases and ensure treatment is provided.
By getting tested, individuals can learn their status,” Starmer stated in comments to the Metro newspaper after the test. “It’s important for people to be informed. This knowledge enables access to treatment, which contributes to our shared goal of eliminating new HIV transmissions by 2030.”
In December, Starmer made a commitment to eliminate new HIV cases in England by the end of the decade. Later this year, a comprehensive “HIV action plan” will be released, detailing the strategies to reach this objective.
“I guess my responsibility now is to reach out to prime ministers and leaders around the globe and encourage them to take similar actions in their own countries,” he noted.
The week-long testing program, held every year since 2012, enables individuals in England to request free home HIV tests. Participants can choose between a rapid test that delivers results in 15 minutes or a self-sampling kit that also screens for syphilis and is sent to a lab for testing.
