Dec. 1 marked the 30th anniversary of World AIDS Day. People around the world gathered to show support for those living with HIV, to celebrate the lives of those who have died and to fight to find a cure.
World AIDS Day was founded in 1988 to increase awareness of the disease and demonstrate support for those living with it. This year’s theme, “Know Your Status,” encourages people to get tested, as many people currently living with HIV don’t even know it.
“HIV” and “AIDS” are frequently used interchangeably, but they are not one and the same. HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, is a virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS.
Once infected with HIV, a person’s immune system weakens. The final stage of the infection results in AIDS. All people with AIDS also have HIV, but not everyone with HIV will develop AIDS.
The AIDS epidemic was first reported in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report in June 1981. The report detailed a rare lung infection discovered in five men who were gay in Los Angeles. After the report was released, doctors across the country shared similar instances with the CDC.
By the end of the year, 270 cases of severe immune deficiency among men who were gay had been reported.
The global HIV epidemic has always been closely related to negative attitudes towards LGBT people. HIV was originally believed to be a disease solely transmitted by gay men.
This homophobic notion was bolstered by sensational reporting in the press, which often referred to HIV as the “gay plague.”
The CDC later reported AIDS can be transmitted sexually or through blood exposure and not through casual contact, food, water or the air. In 1994, AIDS was the leading cause of death for all American adults between the ages of 25 and 44.
Thirty-four years after the CDC’s initial report, there is still no vaccination or cure for AIDS. Over 39,000 people in the U.S. were diagnosed with HIV in 2016 alone.
In 2017, an estimated 940,000 people worldwide died from HIV-related causes. Over 37 million people around the world have HIV.
Major advancements have been made to slow down the progression of the disease. Today, a positive diagnosis is no longer an instant death sentence.
According to the CDC, HIV can be treated with antiretroviral therapy (ART), consisting of a combination of three or more drugs.
Introduced in the mid-90s, ART works to reduce the amount of the virus in an individual’s blood and can keep someone healthy for years. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a more recent advancement in HIV treatment and can be taken by people at a higher risk of contracting HIV. PrEP is designed to reduce the risk of getting HIV from sex by 90 percent.
An individual who believes they have been exposed to HIV can take post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to help avoid contracting the infection up to three days after exposure.
Many people have fears and negative attitudes about individuals with HIV and AIDS that are not rooted in facts. Stigma and discrimination will only marginalize the HIV-affected community.
You can be an ally and advocate for the community by educating yourself and speaking out against myths and stereotypes. Being able to casually talk about HIV and AIDS will help normalize the conversation and get people engaged and educated.
