The Rainbow Project spearheads historic first promotional campaign focused on HIV prevention in Northern Ireland – ‘Catch Urself Up’ on ‘U = U’
Ahead of Belfast Pride later this month, a new public health campaign has been launched by LGBTQIA+ organisation The Rainbow Project, aiming to improve societal understanding of living with HIV, and send a clear message that U = U – Undetectable = Untransmissible.
This is an innovative and vital campaign for Northern Ireland, where there have been no HIV-specific public health campaigns since the initial epidemic in the late 80s and early 90s.
The ‘Catch Urself Up’ campaign focuses on ‘undetectable’ HIV. Someone who is HIV positive becomes undetectable when, thanks to effective treatment known as ‘Anti-Retroviral Therapy’ or ‘ART’, their viral load becomes so low that it cannot be passed to their sexual partners.
Up to 97% of people living with HIV in Northern Ireland are undetectable, and therefore none of those people can pass this on to sexual partners.
Scott Cuthbertson, CEO of The Rainbow Project, said: “We know that in silence, misinformation, discrimination and stigma about HIV thrives. Significant progress has been made on the treatment and prevention of HIV, however society’s understanding of it has changed very little since the initial epidemic in the 80s and 90s.
“To fight stigma, we must learn the facts about HIV; what living with HIV is like today, how it’s transmitted, how it’s prevented, how it’s treated, and importantly, that undetectable HIV cannot be passed on.
“The of lack of up-to-date information and knowledge on HIV impacts everyone, whether you are living with a diagnosis or not.
“That’s why we’re encouraging everyone to ‘Catch Urself Up’ on ‘U = U’: to know that undetectable HIV is untransmittable; to send a message that those living with HIV can live long, happy, healthy lives; and ultimately to reduce new transmissions of HIV to zero by 2030.”
Leo Lardie, Sexual Health & Advocacy Co-ordinator at The Rainbow Project, said: “Medically, HIV is a long-term but treatable condition. That treatment for many would involve just a pill a day or for some a more recently introduced long-acting injectable every two months.
“HIV is no longer a death sentence, those who are diagnosed as HIV Positive today have the same life expectancy as someone who HIV Negative. With early diagnosis and effective treatment, it is very unlikely for HIV to progress to AIDS.
“People fear getting their yearly HIV test for fear of a positive result, even though timely diagnosis and treatment is essential to improving health outcomes.
“Some avoid asking their sexual partners for their STI testing history or talking about their preferred method of STI protection for fear of being perceived as or being outed as living with HIV.
“Our inability to openly and accurately talk about HIV can contribute not just the stigmatisation of those living with HIV but to the increase of new diagnoses overall. That’s why we want you to “Catch Urself Up” about U=U, get tested regularly, and play your part in ending new HIV transmissions by 2030.”
HIV in Northern Ireland
Over recent years, significant progress has been made in the expansion of testing and support for both diagnosing and preventing further spread of HIV, as well as supporting individuals who have been diagnosed as HIV positive.
The most recent publicly available statistics demonstrate that, in 2023, there were 101 new diagnoses of HIV in Northern Ireland.
“Of these, 47 were individuals first diagnosed in Northern Ireland, while 54 had previously been diagnosed abroad. Per these statistics, the most common route of transmission for new HIV diagnoses occurs through heterosexual transmission (58%).
With the rollout over the past number of years of PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) to reduce your risk of contracting HIV up to 72 hours after unprotected sex, PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) that when taken as directed can almost eliminate your risk of contracting HIV, and our rollout of effective public health messaging around Undetectable HIV, we have the very real possibility of meeting the UK’s goal of ending new HIV transmissions by 2030.
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– The Rainbow Project has a stock of A5 leaflets available for distribution to any interested organisations. We are particularly keen to reach community centres, healthcare providers, and other service-delivery organisations.
To receive a delivery of these leaflets (free of charge) please contact The Rainbow Project (028 90 319 030) ([email protected])
– This project has been made possible with the provision of a financial grant from Gilead Sciences Ltd
