Knowledge is ending HIV transmission
So much has changed since the 80s, the start of the HIV epidemic here in Australia. Today we have a much greater understanding of HIV, and how to effectively treat it and prevent transmission. Knowing the facts about HIV, not just for those at risk but also for broader society, is crucial for ending HIV transmission.
HIV stigma and the early epidemic
HIV casts a long shadow of stigma that still very much exists today, fuelled by myths and misinformation. This reaches right back to the start of the epidemic.
In the 80’s people started getting sick, sick enough to die. They didn’t know what it was, what it was caused by or what they could do to prevent it. The fear was real and became a moral panic, meaning this fear turned into blame for gay and bisexual communities. The result? Shaming those most at risk of HIV into silence and isolation. This meant that people who could help were too scared to, and those who needed help couldn’t get it.
It’s only through understanding that we can overcome the negative impact of HIV stigma. Let’s challenge some myths surrounding HIV, and learn how modern HIV treatments can benefit everyone in our communities and wider society.
HIV and AIDS are not the same
HIV and AIDS are connected, but not the same. HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, it’s a virus that attacks the immune system, the body’s defence against infection.
AIDS, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome is a condition in which HIV over a long period of time has severely weakened someone’s immune system making them vulnerable to life-threatening infections and cancers.
Today, AIDS has been virtually eliminated across Australia and is very rarely seen. While people are still being diagnosed with HIV, they are quickly linked to care and enjoy a good quality of life thanks to modern HIV treatment, which in NSW is available for free. The biggest thing stopping people from testing is the stigma because they don’t know how easy and safe it is these days.
HIV is no longer a death sentence
For most people in NSW, living with HIV is no longer a fight for survival, but instead, people living with HIV have access to free and effective treatment and advanced healthcare.
Modern HIV treatment reduces the level of virus so effectively that you can have a normal functioning immune system. When you keep taking your treatment over time and continue to sustain this extremely low level of virus, it’s known as ‘undetectable’ and it not only keeps you healthy, but it also prevents passing on HIV to your partners.
Thanks to today’s effective treatments, people living with HIV in Australia taking treatment will never progress to AIDS or be at risk of life-threatening illnesses.
You can’t get HIV from a touch or a kiss
HIV cannot be transmitted through body contact or through a kiss! So feel free to give your beau a hug or kiss, with their consent of course!
In guys, HIV exists predominantly in the blood, semen, anal and front hole fluids. HIV can be transmitted if one of these fluids from someone with HIV enters another person’s bloodstream.
For gay and bi guys, this is generally through fucking or getting fucked without condoms or another HIV prevention strategy. It’s also possible to transmit HIV through sharing drug injecting or tattooing equipment.
For transmission to occur there needs to be enough HIV present in the positive partner. Guys living with HIV who are on treatment and have reduced their viral load to ‘undetectable’ cannot transmit HIV to their partners. However, there might be guys who have not tested recently and do not know their status, so always protect yourself with PrEP or condoms.
Learn more about how HIV is transmitted on the Ending HIV website and how you can stay safe.
Undetectable = Untransmittable
Our knowledge of HIV has increased, and with advancing HIV medicine we now know that when a person takes HIV treatment for an extended period, they can reduce the amount of HIV in their body to an ‘undetectable’ level.
Many people may still not know about the science of undetectable, also known as Undetectable = Untransmittable (or U=U), so it falls on each of us to learn about it, share it with our friends and lovers and trust the science.
Stigma is still here today, so speak up
While we have made gains in our awareness of HIV, more than one-third of people living with HIV in Australia still experience stigma to some degree. According to the HIV Futures 10 study, 36 per cent of participants reported experiencing some form of HIV stigma in the 12 months prior.
So what can we do with this knowledge and be better allies for those living with HIV?
We can speak up. When you hear a person express something incorrect about HIV, let them know they are wrong, and share the right information. Consider your own bias you might have towards HIV and trust the science behind U=U.
Together we can use knowledge to end HIV transmission.