Get Ready for a Hot Summer! Order free resources and download our social media pack

The It Starts With Me summer campaign focuses on raising awareness of why and how to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV. To find how you can support this exciting campaign download and read our Get Ready for a Hot Summer campaign briefing [PDF].

The campaign, using the tagline ‘Get ready for a hot summer’, is delivered through digital platforms and face to face outreach. The target audiences for the campaign are:

  • gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM)
  • heterosexuals of Black African ethnicity
  • people from other communities affected by HIV.

Key messages for this campaign:

  • As you get ready for summer, it is important to protect yourself from HIV and STIs.
  • Your sex life should be pleasurable and healthy, find out how to look after your sexual health this summer.
  • Sex without a condom increases your likelihood of getting an STI.
  • You could have an STI without knowing it.
  • PrEP is a pill that can prevent you from getting HIV.

How can you get involved?

 Free resources

Our resources portal is now open with new posters, leaflets and merchandise for outreach, health promotion activities and raising awareness of HIV and STIs in your clinic, GP surgery, organisation or community.

New resources for summer 2023:

  • ‘The facts about PrEP’ leaflet
  • Get ready for a hot summer, STI, condom and PrEP posters
  • Summer-themed merchandise.

Order today.

Social Media Pack

The social media pack is now available to download. It includes a selection of correctly sized images for use on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram (including Instagram stories) or any other social networks, as well as some suggested messaging.

Download the social media pack.

Get ready for National HIV Testing Week 2023

National HIV Testing Week starts Monday 6 February 2023 so please prepare by familiarising yourself with this year’s campaign and the different ways you can get involved.

A new campaign for 2023

National HIV Testing Week is a campaign to promote regular testing among the most-affected population groups in England. Regular testing helps to reduce the number of people living with undiagnosed HIV and those diagnosed late.

This year, the campaign returns with a new strapline, ‘I Test.’, across all National HIV Testing Week
materials, replacing ‘Give HIV The Finger’, which has been in place for the previous five years. The headline ‘I Test.’ is followed by a line that explores people’s different reasons for testing. This allows for flexibility in responding to different audience needs.

The new strapline and campaign approach was developed and adopted following findings and recommendations from evaluations of ‘Give HIV The Finger’ and audience insights gathered over the summer of 2022. Audiences were involved through focus groups and surveys throughout the development process. It builds on the concept of the National HIV Prevention Programme’s umbrella campaign, ‘It Starts With Me‘ by positioning testing as something normal, desirable, and that we can all take personal responsibility for.

Please see sample images from the campaign below. The campaign features a wide range of models with some resources translated into a number of languages. You can see the whole range of campaign resources via HIV Prevention England’s resources portal.

How to get involved

There are many ways you can get involved and support National HIV Testing Week. We are inviting organisations to participate by running campaign events, providing testing opportunities and promoting HIV testing, and prevention awareness, with our support. For more details, please download the campaign briefing [PDF].

Free Resources

Free resources to promote HIV testing this National HIV Testing Week are now available to order.

Log in to order leaflets, posters, and merchandise to support your National HIV Testing Week activities.

All printed resources are also available to download as PDFs.

Order your resources now.

Social Media Pack

The social media pack is now available to download.

Monkeypox in the UK – latest information, sector resources and guidance

Monkeypox is a rare viral infection mainly spread by wild animals. It is very rare in the UK.

The latest cases bring the total number of monkeypox cases confirmed in England since Friday 6 May to 20, with recent cases predominantly in gay and bisexual men.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) are working closely with NHS England and NHS trusts, the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH), the British HIV Association (BHIVA), and Terrence Higgins Trust to respond to this emerging situation.

The latest update from UKHSA is:

  • There has been a small number of confirmed cases of monkeypox in the UK, with the majority of those cases among gay and bisexual men.
  • Monkeypox spreads through close contact, so is likely being spread during sex rather than through sexual transmission.
  • Everyone is being asked to be aware of the monkeypox symptoms, but it’s important gay and bisexual men are alert as its believed to be spreading in sexual networks.
  • If people have a rash anywhere or any of the other symptoms below, they should contact their local sexual health service by phone – not in person.
  • The rash often starts on the face then spreads to other parts of the body, including the genitals.
  • Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion.

Resources for the sector

UKHSA

Press releases (latest statements and updates).

The epidemiology, symptoms, diagnosis and management of monkeypox virus infections.

NHS – Central Alert System (CAS)

Immediate actions in response to cases of Monkeypox Virus in the UK with no known travel history.

BASHH

Monkeypox resources and operational documents.

This hub provides information for sexual health services (SHS), including:

  • Latest guidance for SHS colleagues.
  • Flowcharts for receptions, clinics receiving patients attending clinic.
  • Operational issues to address potential monkeypox.

BHIVA

BHIVA rapid statement on monkeypox virus (impact on people with HIV).

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)

Risk assessment: Monkeypox multi-country outbreak

World Health Organisation (WHO)

Statement on the situation in the UK.

Information for the public

NHS information on transmission, symptoms, and treatment.

Terrence Higgins Trust monkeypox in the UK update, including frequently asked questions.

 

Coming soon: Social media assets and messaging

Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions.