Prince Harry is urging people to be tested for HIV. After having publicly been tested himself in a bid to remove the stigma associated with being tested, Kensington Palace has released a video starring Prince Harry in which he talks about the importance of HIV testing. "Taking an HIV test is something to be proud of", the Prince states, adding "not something to be ashamed or embarrassed about".
Harry goes on to argue that, "as much as you protect yourself at this time of year from illnesses and viruses like cold and flu, you can also protect your health by taking an HIV test". Harry wears a red ribbon as a symbol of awareness about the virus and support for those suffering from it in the video.
Wise words we think, especially when the video follows a warning issued by the Terrence Higgins Trust saying that "worryingly high rates of undiagnosed and late-stage HIV" exist. Prince Harry has worked with the Terrence Higgins Trust before and he and Meghan attended the trust's world AIDS day fair in Nottingham last year.
And the statistics truly are shocking. Public Health England recently published numbers revealing that, in four out of ten patients newly diagnosed with HIV, the virus had already started to damage the immune system.
Prince Harry's mother, Princess Diana also campaigned to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS. Prince Harry handed out testing kits last year, but it seems he has taken things one step further this year, by filming his new video.
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