Ahead of World AIDS Day on 1 December, Northern Ireland’s only dedicated HIV charity, Positive Life, is urging employers to use the awareness day to meet Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) goals with its workplace education sessions.

The charity says the social exclusion caused by stigma around HIV carries a mental health burden which could be avoided if people have a better – and more up to date – understanding of HIV.

Positive Life

Positive Life’s workplace education sessions are a key part of the charity’s work to break down inaccurate, outdated and harmful misconceptions around living with HIV in 2023.

Jacquie Richardson, CEO of Positive Life explained, “For people whose only knowledge of HIV and AIDS is based on those hard-hitting TV ads of the 80’s, the picture now couldn’t be more different.

“HIV treatment today means that if someone diagnosed with HIV receives drug therapy quickly, their HIV viral load can be reduced so dramatically that it becomes undetectable. We now confidently promote the message U=U: Undetectable = Untransmittable. If HIV is diagnosed and effectively treated, there is no risk of onward transmission – and that includes through social and sexual contact.

“This knowledge is so important in changing the perception of life with HIV. We know from our service users that the mental health impact of misinformed stigma is one of the most significant challenges they face.

“This brings with it inequality, bias and social exclusion that should simply not exist in 2023. Employers have a huge opportunity to break the stigma and build inclusivity in the workplace by offering their staff our Positive about HIV information session as part of the their EDI commitment.”

World AIDS Day is on December 1. The Positive about HIV workplace sessions are available to businesses of any size. To find out more information, or to book a session, contact Lea Dickson at Positive Life: [email protected]