A very socially aware Prince Harry took an HIV test live via social media to raise an increased awareness for HIV and AIDS. The said testing was announce 10 minutes on the Royal Family before Prince Harry took the test on the Royal Family’s Official Facebook. The test happened at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London.
Prince Harry wanted to show everybody how easy it was to get tested for HIV. The said event was in partnership with The Terrence Higgins Trust. The charity offered a quick and private way to know if you have HIV. They have a 15-minute self-testing kit for HIV. Within a minute after Prince Harry had his pin prick test, his result was revealed. He tested negative for HIV.
In just a few hours after the said event was witnessed live on facebook, the post went viral with around 1,450 shares and 249,000 views. The chairman of The Terrence Higgins Trust called the event participated by Prince Harry as a groundbreaking moment in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
Sources from Daily Mail revealed that an hour after Prince Harry had the HIV testing, the Kensington Palace released a statement, “Until everyone feels relaxed about taking HIV tests, whether from higher risk groups or not, ten tackling the stigma and fear surrounding this simple test will continue to allow the virus to win, Harry believes.’ Prince Harry himself said, “We all know that HIV is a virus that thrives off silence and feeds on stigma. I hope to help in lessening this stigma and raising awareness on this illness.”
According to the Telegraph UK, two weeks after Prince Harry had a live HIV test via facebook, there was a 500 percent increase of requests for HIV home testing kits. This information is from the health ministry of the United Kingdom. At the moment, there are around 150 people asking for the testing kits for HIV.
Many wonder how accurate these self testing kits are, but according to Dr. Michael Brady, The Terrence Higgins Trust’s medical director, the small blood drop required for the testing kit is 99.7 percent accurate. The result will be available within 15 minutes. Dr. Brady also said that one out of six people infected with HIV are not aware of their condition and is more susceptible to acquiring more serious illnesses.
