A new scheme aimed at reducing the incidence of undiagnosed HIV in Sheffield's Black African community has just been launched.

The scheme offers an alternative method of HIV testing where people from African communities living in Sheffield can order a home saliva sampling kit, take a saliva sample at home and post this to the hospital for testing. Results of this test will then be given by telephone from one of the health advisers who work at the G U Clinic at the Hallamshire Hospital.

The scheme aims to make access to HIV testing more readily available for people from the Black African community and increase the early diagnosis of any HIV infection so that people diagnosed with HIV can enjoy long and relatively healthy lives.

You can order a HIV home sampling kit by completing the online request form on the Time 2 Test page of this website or by calling the Centre for HIV and Sexual Health on 0114 226 1900. 

The scheme will run from July to December 2010.

A new webiste has recently been launched that brings together information about all the sexual health services in Sheffield. The website also gives lots of useful information about a wide range of sexual health topics. You can visit this website by clicking this link www.sheffieldsexualhealth.nhs.uk

The African HIV Policy Network (AHPN) is an umbrella organisation of mostly African-led community based organisations that enables Africans to speak with a collective and representative voice on matters of HIV and sexual health, with a mission to advance the health and well-being of Africans living in the UK.

Our Sexual Health Peer Education Team will be out and about at lots of festivals over the next few weeks. They will be having an information stall at the following festivals:-

• Firth Park Festival, Hucklow Road - Sunday 27 June (12 noon to 6 pm)
• Sharrow Festival, Mount Pleasant Park - Saturday 3 July (12 noon to 5 pm)
• Firvale Festival, Osgathorpe Park - Sunday 4 July (1 pm to 6 pm)
• Abbeyfield Festival, Abbeyfield Park - Sunday 11 July ( 1 pm to 6 pm)
• Darnall Carnival, High Hazels Park - Saturday 17 July (12 noon to 5 pm)
• Tramlines Music Festival, Devonshire Green - Saturday 24 July (10 am to 6 pm)
• Broomhall Community Event, Gell Street Playground - Saturday 31 July (12 noon to 5 pm)

Do go along and visit the team at their stalls - they are very much looking forward to talking to you about any sexual health issues and have lots of information and resources for you to take away.

The Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) have produced two new resources about HIV for African people. called Be Wise. The first gives general information about HIV and the second focuses on PEP (post exposure prophylaxis treatment)

 You can download a copy of Bewise - information about HIV here

You can download a copy of Be Wise - information about PEP here

At the recent Break The Silence event held to commemorate World AIDS Day, Akoi Bazzie - Pastor of the Hope and Glory Ministry in Sheffield gave a moving and powerful speech about why we need to break the silence and start talking about HIV/AIDS like any other issues in our community and religious settings. He says that everyone has the right to good health and the right to make healthy choices about their sexual relationships.

To read the transcript of his speech, press the read more link below.