Why Haven’t Conversations Around HIV Evolved if Treatment and Prevention Has?

Of course, shows like Pose on FX and It’s A Sin on HBO Max are helping increase visibility and create widespread awareness surrounding HIV and AIDS, but where are we supposed to look for an accurate representation of modern-day people living productive, exciting lives as HIV-positive people on prescribed treatment plans? I’m asking seriously, because I could not find an example. According to HIV.org, 27.4 million people with HIV were accessing antiretroviral therapy globally, but try to see that represented in media, and as close as you get is an AIDS epidemic drama set in the Sandra Bernhard era. 

When the HIV epidemic was raging throughout the world in the 1980’s through the 1990’s, no effective treatment was available. Those diagnosed with the autoimmune virus had little hope for survival and faced debilitating diseases and even the possibility of death within weeks, months, or years.

Fast forward to over three decades later, and the story is different. Through diligent research, medical advancements, and the global propagation of HIV/AIDS awareness, we have developed highly effective measures for the prevention and treatment of HIV. These advancements can be a source of hope for people who are fearful when they are diagnosed with HIV, or learn of a friend or family member who is. Unfortunately, the fear, ignorance and stigmas of the AIDS epidemic of the ’80s and ’90s has lingered around longer than it should and continues to inform and influence the popular understanding of HIV. 

So, here we are, decades after 1983 when Dr. Fracoise Barre-Sinoussi and Dr. Luc Montaigner first isolated the virus, living in a world where a positive HIV diagnosis should start the conversation on finding resources for treatment versus being potentially a few weeks away from death. We can all do our part to fight stigmas, quell fears and spread hope by evolving our conversations around HIV to be more realistic of medical advancements and stop addressing HIV diagnoses as a death sentence.

HIV Treatment Has Come a Long Way

It’s important to inform our conversations with the history and facts around the development of HIV treatment that have benefited so many. In 1985, the first clinical trials of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) began, and just two years later, the first ARV was approved for use. But this earlier iteration of the now effective HIV treatment was only comprised of a single drug, which proved beneficial, but only in the short term. By the end of 1995, ARV drugs came in various combinations, and in 1996, at the 11th International Aids Conference held in Vancouver, the highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART), which combined three ARVs, was launched. HAART reduced AIDS-related deaths by up to 80%.

ARVs reduced the transmission of HIV, particularly from pregnant women to their unborn children. By 1994, researchers had learned that offering ARVs to the new mothers and administering a short-course treatment to their babies could cut down mother-to-child infection rates to below 5%, whereas without treatment, transmission rates were recorded to be between 15% – 45%. Today, ARVs give over 37.9 million people living with HIV globally the viral suppression they need to live long and have healthy lives.

So the data and success of ARVs should always find itself in some way into conversations around HIV to counter the fears and stigmas that are huge contributors to people’s negative feelings. Another thing to remember is that it’s not just treatment of HIV that has progressed since the AIDS epidemic, but also the prevention of spreading HIV. 

HIV is Preventable 

Better testing facilities, preventative measures, and highly effective treatments have drastically reduced the virus’ mortality and infection rates. HIV funding and research has increased exponentially since its detection in the early ’80s. One of the most significant milestones occurred in 2015, when the World Health Organization began recommending the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis – PrEP in short – for HIV-negative individuals that were at high risk.

PrEP is now widely available across the globe, including in low and middle-income countries, along with ramped-up testing measures – the most important of which is the HIV self-test that the WHO introduced in 2016. It is now easier than ever to detect and prevent the transmission of HIV.

Preventative measures such as voluntary male circumcision improved access to condoms, and widespread HIV/AIDS awareness has significantly cut down global transmission rates. Over a million people still get infected every year, but HIV is no longer considered the global public health threat it was labeled at the Atlanta-held International Aids Conference in 1985.

Taking into account the measures people can take to prevent getting HIV and prevent the transmission of HIV, this should shift our conversations away from otherizing and stigmatizing our friends, neighbors and familia who have HIV.

There is Still Work to be Done 

While incredible progress has been made, it’s important to keep in mind that there is still much work to be done – just consider the statistics. According to the WHO, one in four people with HIV don’t know that they’re infected, and over a million HIV-related deaths are still recorded every year. Knowing that, in many cases, through the proper treatments and access to knowledge and resources, many of these deaths are preventable, means we all have to do our part by changing the way we approach the subject in conversations and in media. 

Currently, the WHO has set its goals to eliminate AIDS by 2030, and awareness along with access to testing, medication and treatment are crucial to achieving this goal. If you want to learn more or get to know people living with a positive HIV diagnosis and contributing to making the world a better place, watch LATV’s series, My Health Agenda!