HIV: THE OTHER CLOSET
Imagine an unknown virus is spreading at incredible speed, causing a global pandemic that kills millions everywhere.
And now imagine that nobody cares. Nobody does anything about it. Nobody even talks about what's happening. Even worse, in many places the research into this lethal virus and possible ways to stop it are actively obstructed.
That's how the AIDS pandemic was for several decades.
World AIDS Day, held on 1 December every year since 1988, is an international day dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV.
In the 40 years since the first cases of AIDS were discovered, enormous strides have been made in our knowledge of HIV and how to manage it, but there is still a great deal of work yet do be done to end the pandemic that never went away.
Thanks to the efforts of activists, scientists, and educators around the world, today a diagnosis is not necessarily a death sentence. Progress continues at an ever-accelerating pace, reaching milestones that were unthinkable only a few years ago:
U = U
With the treatments now available, a person living with HIV can have a totally normal life, including not being contagious. Yes, you read that right. When a person living with HIV receives adequate treatment, the virus is suppressed to the point that is no longer detectable in their blood: they become undetectable.
Undetectable means untransmissible. In other words, that person is not able to pass the virus to others.
PrEP and PEP
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) are two kinds of medication that are highly effective in preventing the transmission of HIV. They have been made available recently, and their implementation is still limited, but these drugs are already playing a critical role in reducing transmission rates among at-risk populations.
HIV Vaccine
We have never been closer to an effective and long-lasting vaccine against HIV. Thousands of researchers and volunteers around the globe are working tirelessly to develop one. Currently the Mosaico Study is the most promising candidate.
VIHsibility
The visibility of HIV/AIDS characters in media has come a long way, both in quantity and quality. These representations are important because they have real-world impact in people's perceptions and behaviors. For example, after the success of the British show "It's a Sin", there was a significant increase in HIV testing in the UK.