Statistics show that an astounding one in seven homosexual men in London is HIV positive. A new campaign has been launched since these statistics have been made public urging gay men to protect themselves against this virus, and to stop the figure rising any higher.

These shocking figures where found out when a sample was taken from around 1250 gay men at popular bars, clubs, and saunas that cater to gay individuals and these tests found that over 15 percent were HIV positive. The Heath Protection Agency has estimated that HIV has a higher chance of being contracted by homosexuals who are regulars to the gay scene.

This new campaign features London's most iconic symbols and is currently being promoted with the slogan 1 in 7. This campaign has been funded by the Pan London HIV Prevention Programme in the hopes that gay men will practise safe sex and get themselves tested regularly if they are sexually active, and also, to get themselves tested now, if they have never been tested, or not been tested in a while.

The campaign will also be advertised in some of London's most popular gay magazines, on Gaydar, and will also be posted in gay bars, clubs and sex health clinics across London. This campaign will run aggressively for twelve weeks ending in July of 2010, hopefully giving enough time for gay men in the area to view the slogan.

The head of Health Promotion at the Terrence Higgins Trust, Alan Wardle has stated that focus groups of men that had seen the campaign were appalled by the 1 in 7 statistic but could believe the figure. Brighton, a city near London has the highest rate of HIV in comparison to others in the U.K. Many gay men believe that a person’s status can be easily told by how they look or act or who they hang out with. There is the likelihood that many gay men who have this stigma do not know their status. Heath services are under the assumption that many gay men are having unprotected sex with their partners, and this is something that needs to be stopped, before the figure rises.