BigShinyThing

New figures, released this week, are expected to show that almost 8,000 people were diagnosed with HIV last year, increasing the number of people living with the virus in the UK to around 70,000. Around a third of people with HIV are unaware that they are carrying the virus and there is fresh concern that people may now be carrying a cocktail of STDs, including HIV, chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhoea. The annual report of the Health Protection Agency is expected to also highlight the rise in infection amongst heterosexuals. Around two-thirds of heterosexuals with HIV acquired the infection abroad, primarily in Africa.

The Terrence Higgins Trust said too many people in the West were taking risks because they felt HIV was a treatable disease and that this lessened the chances of contracting it. The UK government have just launched a TV campaign warning young people of the risks of unprotected sex. One in five under-24s say they do not take condoms with them on a night out.

Source: The Independent via Towleroad.

The mobile cinema consists of a rolled up screen on top of a 4 by 4 (pictured). The unit has a stock of about 400 films and tries to visit each village on its route at least once a month. As well bringing Western-style entertainment and advertising to Africa, in nice bit of cultural colonialism, the vans also carry educational messages about the spread of HIV and AIDS.

I’ve run this story with a Flickr-style screen grab from CNN in celebration of finally going cable here at BST HQ.