British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has urged other world leaders to take an HIV test, after becoming the first serving British prime minister and G7 leader to take the test publicly on camera.
Starmer’s office on Monday released footage of the UK leader completing a rapid home test in Downing Street on Friday, in support of a week-long nationwide initiative to encourage HIV testing.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) estimated that 4,700 people are living with undiagnosed HIV in England, with increased testing a key part of the strategy to find them.
Starmer in December committed his government to ending new HIV cases in England by 2030, with a new “HIV action plan” detailing how it will meet the target to be published later this year.
“I suppose my task now is to talk to prime ministers and leaders across the world and say, you too should do it in your own country,” he told Britain’s Metro newspaper, immediately after completing the test.
“If people test, they will know their status, it is better that people know,” he added in comments released by his office.
“You can then get access to treatment, and that will also help meet our collective target to end new HIV transmissions by 2030.”
The week-long testing initiative, delivered by the Terrence Higgins Trust and funded by the Department of Health and Social Care, has been running annually in England since 2012.
During the week, anyone nationwide can order a free HIV test, with two types of at-home testing kits available.
One provides results within 15 minutes while another “self-sampling” kit, which also tests for syphilis, can be sent to a laboratory for results.
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