Mugwagwa's story
(Mugwagwa is not his real name)
Mugwagwa was born in Zimbabwe but has been living in Sheffield for the past 10 years. He believes that everyone should be aware of their HIV status and that it really is ‘better to know’.
Mugwagwa said:
“I decided to have a HIV test in 2002 after I came across an article about testing at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital’s Genito-Urinary Medicine (GUM) clinic. I had no symptoms, but had been married twice and was single again. A positive result did not shock me. I did not feel bad or miserable because I knew I was in the best place.
“My experience from services in Sheffield has been very good. You get your treatment without a problem. People may be scared or maybe think it may not happen to me. Knowing you have HIV helps you take good care of yourself like taking your treatment on time and having a healthy diet and lifestyle.
A great idea
“I think the home sampling kits are a great idea as people can do it in their own homes without having to go to a clinic. Everybody should consider having a HIV test if they have been at any risk, especially people who have been in high HIV prevalence places like Africa. I feel that it’s important to be aware of your status because this helps you understand your condition and know how to protect yourself as well as others. Some people think that after having a HIV test that’s the end of you. It’s not. You can get very good advice from the GUM and ‘E’ Floor at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital which specialises in infectious diseases.”