In one sense Tory MP Maria Caulfield is right. Anyone can get HIV but in encouraging us all to head off to the NHS, the envy of the world, with its record waiting lists to get a test is Ms Caulfield really being totally fair and balanced? Or just adding to the NHS waiting lists in order to appease certain vociferous minorities?
I put it to you that if you have never had sex or injected heroin your chances of getting HIV are almost zero. If you are in a long term monagamous relationship, especially a heterosexual one, your odds are also almost zero. I accept your partner might play away and introduce HIV to your household but, even so, the odds are against it. If, however, you follow certain other lifestyle choices you will be at a greatly increased risk.
HIV does not discriminate. But like diabetes, for example, certain lifestyle choices greatly increase your risk of catching it. You make your own bed and lie on it so to speak. And it is those making those high risk lifestyle choices that Ms Caulfield should be targetting. But it is 2022 so telling the truth about hard data might be considered a hate crime so instead we see the tweet below.
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Today I joined #HIVTestingWeek by getting a quick, easy test for HIV. Viruses don’t discriminate – anyone can get HIV so I’d encourage anyone who hasn’t yet to find out your HIV status to help achieve our goal to end HIV transmission in England by 2030 pic.twitter.com/CGrECsPWqL
— Maria Caulfield MP (@mariacaulfield) February 7, 2022