By Maddy Harlow.
For most people reading this, the 1st of December is just another day, perhaps an exciting one as advent calendars are opened and Christmas songs are considered socially acceptable to play. But for many across the world, the 1st of December is a day of reflection, of raising awareness and of hope for the future. World Aids Day is an opportunity not only for the 38.4 million people living with HIV worldwide, but for everyone to spend at least a few minutes thinking about, talking about, or learning about HIV.
HIV is a virus that damages the cells in a person’s immune system, weakening their ability to fight infections and disease. It is sometimes conflated with AIDS, the name used to describe a number of potentially life-threatening infections and illnesses that occur when an immune system has been severely damaged by the HIV virus. With an early diagnosis and effective treatment, most carriers of the HIV virus will not go on to develop AIDS and are able to live a healthy life.
According to the World Aids Day website over 105,000 people in the UK are living with HIV, yet 63% of the public do not remember seeing or hearing about HIV in the past six months. HIV can affect any one of any race, ethnicity or sexuality, and the assumption that it only affects a ‘certain group’ is a deeply damaging narrative, facilitating needless transmission.
In the UK, antiretroviral therapy (ART) medication is accessible. Access to ART reduces a person with HIV’s viral load to the point that it is both undetectable and untransmissible. Globally, thousands of people still do not have access to this life changing medication. Despite the monumental advances in HIV treatment since the beginning of its pandemic in 1984, stigma, shame and ignorance still dominate discourse surrounding HIV. Gareth Thomas, former Rugby Union star opened up about his positive status and was spat at on the street due to the inaccurate perceptions which people hold about HIV.
It is crucial that those of us who are not HIV positive participate in conversations surrounding HIV. Whilst looking for resources, I stumbled across ‘Through Positive Eyes’, a collaborative photo-storytelling project by over 140 people living with HIV across the world. ‘The project chronicles a very particular moment in the epidemic, when effective treatment is available to some, not all, and when the enduring stigma associated with HIV and AIDS has become entrenched: a major roadblock to both prevention and treatment’. The collection of photos taken by those living with HIV around the world illustrates the diversity of the population of people who are HIV positive, reminding us that we still have a long way to go if we are to end AIDS globally. The virtual gallery is strikingly powerful and each photograph is a bold and courageous act of artistry, reflecting the emotions and lived experiences of those who are HIV positive globally. Through Positive Eyes is one of many projects aiming to end the stigma of HIV once and for all it feels like a privilege to be able to see intimate snapshots of the highs and lows of living with HIV.
Having a look at the Through Positive Eyes website is just one way to start to think about HIV this world AIDS day. Films and TV shows such as ‘It’s a Sin’ and ‘How to survive a plague’ are two examples of poignant representations of the history of the AIDS pandemic – but a vast amount of footage and documentaries can also be found online. The HIV unmuted podcast contains valuable knowledge and insight on the subject, or you can take a look at the World AIDS day 2022 website to learn a bit more about HIV and what you can do to help make a change.
Perhaps one of the most important things you can do this world AIDS day is get tested. Take a festive trip to the STI clinic or do it from the comfort of your own home. One blood test could make all the difference in reducing the transmission of HIV.
Talk to your friends and family about HIV, raise awareness and end the stigma around the topic. David, who lives with HIV, told the national HIV trust:
‘What I’m learning, and have learned, is that it is fightable, it is worth getting out of bed and it is worth the pain to fight to be able to see a day when possibly millions can be free from this epidemic. We just have to keep fighting’.
HIV is far from being a thing of the past. Whilst the UN has stated that it wants to end HIV as a public health threat by 2030, we still have a very long way to go. To end the shame and the stigma we need to talk, we need to educate ourselves and we need to test ourselves. Across the world people are still dying from AIDS. This world AIDS day be the person who starts the conversation. Nobody should have to die due to ignorance.
Some resources to access:
https://throughpositiveeyes.org
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sexual-health/visiting-an-sti-clinic/
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sexual-health/visiting-an-sti-clinic/
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hiv-unmuted/id1565625594