Arcigay Florence at the forefront of the fight against AIDS – Arcigay
Testing Week 2022 has just ended, with many awareness events and rapid tests throughout Florence, as well as in many Italian and European cities. However, many other initiatives are still planned for the December 1, World AIDS Daythanks to the network of associations which for years, in collaboration with Administrations and Healthcare Companies, have been carrying out awareness raising, education and testing campaigns in the city.
In addition to the monthly tests, every 2nd Wednesday of the month, Arcigay Florence Plan a special date next time December 1stin collaboration with The Social Hub Florence, where from 15:00 to 19:00 there will be the possibility to undergo the HIV and HCV test in a safe, anonymous, free and rapid way with trained personnel who can answer their doubts, and from 19:00 cultural moment with aperitif and readings a theme.
Unfortunately in Italy the topic of sex education and prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is almost completely neglected in schools and even today, in 2022, the freedom necessary to talk about these topics to adolescents is not established. The age range of the population between 40 and 50 years of age experienced adolescence bombarded by media insistence on the dangers of HIV infection. Today this risk has disappeared from the mainstream, but both ignorance about the importance of prevention and the stigma of discrimination against HIV-positive people persist. Furthermore, many people are not even aware that they are carriers of an STI and for this reason the testing activity is fundamental: early diagnoses lead to effective treatment and a reduction in the spread of the infection. The major problem therefore reconfirms the absence of real policies on the subject and the consequent ignorance of the population. In fact, let us remember that a person with HIV under treatment and aware of their serological status can reach levels of non-detection of the virus and therefore not be in the slightest danger of infection for other people.
“Communication is fundamental,” he says Licio Vessi, secretary and health manager of Arcigay Firenze “We must be a vehicle of healthy information, we must be able to reach key populations, the younger ones, with correct information. We must fight taboos and stigmatization, thus giving the opportunity to ask questions, even the most embarrassing ones, and consequently receive answers to doubts that too often become fears. Arcigay is also doing a lot from this point of view, with the Healthy Peers website, which I invite everyone to visit to find information on IST, safer sex, information campaigns that speak a language aimed at the youth population”.
“It is important that the population knows and is well informed on the subject, especially the part most at risk” says Mauro Scopelliti, President of Arcigay Firenze, “at the present time even if a person in therapy cannot transmit the virus, society is still very discriminatory and stigmatizing, we must all together undertake a real cultural change towards education in affectivity and sexuality, in order to acquire greater awareness in our lives and relationships together”.
Further details on events in the city can be found on the website https://www.firenze-fast-track-city.it/
www.arcigayfirenze.it
Article taken from https://www.arcigayfirenze.it/
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