Earl of Courtown
Main Page: Earl of Courtown (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)(1 day, 6 hours ago)
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Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
We really are, and what the noble Lord said is absolutely right. We should pay tribute to those who care and those who innovate, including the scientists who are finding new treatments that are making such a difference. It really is a joy to know not just that so many of our friends and those we love will live long, happy lives, but also that they are happy to share this and talk about it openly. This is something, again, that I do not think we would have seen in the past. It is such a wonderful improvement.
The Earl of Courtown (Con)
My Lords, I congratulate—as I am sure the whole House does—the noble Lord, Lord Fowler, on the work he has done over many years on this subject. Domestically, I understand that 5% of people living with HIV do not know their status. What does this mean as a whole throughout the whole world? How many people do not know? With medication available, and not at a great expense, can the Minister say what we are doing, internationally and nationally, to try to make people more aware of their status, so they can get this very useful treatment?
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
That is such an important point. Noble Lords will have heard the announcement from my right honourable friend Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, this morning about opt-out testing, which addresses exactly the issue the noble Earl referred to. Internationally, this is a real problem. A lot of this goes hand in hand with the issue we have already discussed around stigmatisation. We will work with partner Governments and all agencies that we can to try to address this because, as the noble Earl said, not knowing can be deadly for yourself and others.