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Continuing the legacy of his mother Princess Diana, Prince Harry has established himself as an active advocate for HIV/AIDS awareness—most recently, by taking an HIV test and broadcasting it live on Facebook.
On Thursday, the prince visited a sexual health clinic in London to undergo the procedure and encourage others to follow his lead. Wanting to show how simple it is, he live-streamed the finger-prick test—which took just minutes to process—on the royal family's official Facebook page. Though the prince admitted he felt nervous while waiting in the exam room, his results came back negative.
Instances of HIV are on the rise in the United Kingdom, with over 100,000 people living with the disease. An estimated 18,000 people in the U.K. are unaware that they're living with HIV—and that figure jumps to an estimated 19 million when examined worldwide, according to a 2014 report from UN Aids. Going undiagnosed not only complicates matters for people infected (the disease worsens over time but can be prevented from progressing if diagnosed early), but creates a public health hazard as those afflicted can unknowingly spread the disease. Being tested—and subsequently diagnosed and treated—can not only improve the quality of life for an infected individual, but can prevent the spread of the disease to others.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Prince Diana was a staunch advocate for HIV and AIDS awareness. In 1987, she was famously photographed shaking the hands of an HIV-infected man during the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis, shifting the public conversation—as the Telegraph reported—from one of "fear and ignorance" to "compassion and understanding." Her son has continued this legacy throughout his adult life, and Prince Harry's Facebook Live HIV test is yet another example of his dedication to the cause.
"It is amazing how quick [the test] is," Prince Harry said. "Whether you're a man, woman, gay, straight, black or white—even ginger—why wouldn't you come an have a test?"
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Source: http://www.glamour.com/story/prince-harry-got-an-hiv-testand-live-streamed-it-on-facebook
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