In this post I explore the topic of HIV/AIDS from both local and global perspectives to touch upon disease treatment, prevention, and education. Let’s start talking to save lives.

This Saturday, May 18, marks World AIDS Vaccine Day, which brings me to a topic of discussion that I have been told I speak about about too much, especially for someone who does not personally know anyone who is HIV positive. (At least not to my knowledge.) And yet, I don’t really know if we can qualify “too much” when it comes to discussing HIV/AIDS. Because —despite decades of scientific study, (eventual) public recognition, and education initiatives— HIV/AIDS is something that is still highly stigmatized and misunderstood. While being HIV-positive was once an almost certain death sentence, now having the virus can be thought of as a chronic, lifetime illness that will not impair leading a long, productive life full of fully fleshed relationships. In addition, HIV can be prevented through taking necessary precautions and even preventative medication. It’s time we view the disease in its actuality rather than fear those who are affected. And it’s time we discussed the disease publicly, since there is still much work that needs to be done.

World AIDS Vaccine Day, also referred to as HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, is observed each year on May 18 in order to promote the need for a preventative vaccine. This day also recognizes the thousands of scientists, health professionals, volunteers, and community members who continue the urgent process of responding to the HIV/AIDS pandemic through their tireless search for a cure and a preventative vaccine. This day is about raising awareness for a vaccine and reminding the community of the importance of this endeavor. While some falsely believe that the AIDS panic died in the 80s, in fact 36.9 million people in 2017 were estimative to be living with HIV globally. This is a number that cannot be ignored. And in order to bring awareness, it’s essential to start talking.

HIV and AIDS are different diagnoses. HIV is a virus capable of immune system deterioration, while AIDS is a condition that can be developed through contracting HIV. While people can quite understandably confuse HIV and AIDS since the diagnoses go hand-in-hand, the actual contagion of HIV is something that needs to be rectified. A disturbing amount of people still believe that HIV can be transmitted through sharing drinking water or even coughing in public spaces, misconceptions that create unnecessary fear, panic, and judgement. You can’t get HIV from kissing, hugging, sharing food, insect bites, toilet seats, bathing, sneezing, coughing, or sweating. The only body fluids that can pass the HIV infection from one person to another are blood, semen, vaginal fluids, anal mucous, and breastmilk. A person can contract the virus when any of these infected bodily fluids enter their bloodstream, which can happen through shared needle usage, unprotected sex, during pregnancy (from mother to child), or through infected blood transfusions.

The good news is that since HIV transmission is so thoroughly understood, prevention is something that is very easy to understand and practice. The difficult part is educating people around the world about preventative methods and supplying necessary items, such as condoms and clean needles, to lower income countries. In order to consistently protect yourself from HIV transmission from sex, it is necessary to always wear condoms. When used correctly, the wonder drug PrEP can also provide protection from contracting the disease. That’s right, there is an HIV prevention drug that is able to reduce the risk of HIV infection in high risk people up to 92 percent. That means that the usage of condoms and PrEP can make it perfectly possible to have sexual relations with an HIV-positive person. However, these precautions must be taken, and in order for this to happen, it’s necessary to talk about them. In addition, HIV infection can be avoided through always using clean needles. HIV infection through used needles is something that drug users and people without access to proper medical attention need to be extremely cautious of.

Education is something that needs to occur on many levels. It is necessary to devise worldwide education initiatives, and continue current programs, in order to inform people on how they can reduce their risk of contracting HIV and stay safe. It’s also necessary to come up with solutions to assist lower income countries with contagion reduction, such as working on providing universal access to clean medical needles. However, HIV prevention is also a discussion that needs to be had in first world countries such as America as well. Education about the disease is needed in order to break down misconceptions and allow people who are HIV-positive to carry on their lives without unnecessary and highly damaging shame and stigmatization. It’s imperative that we regularize getting tested for HIV, something that can only be achieved through eliminating the stigma surrounding the disease. In the United States alone, it’s believed that 1 in 7 people living with HIV are unaware of their infection. This statistic is extremely disturbing, because if people don’t know they have the disease, they are far more likely to unknowingly spread it to others.

In 2016, roughly 38,700 Americans became newly infected with HIV. That totals an estimated 1.1 million people in the U.S. living with the disease, leading to more than 150,000 people possibly being unaware of their infection. Getting tested for HIV is something that does not happen enough due to the element of shame. In turn, the disease continues to spread throughout the world and those currently infected are unable to take steps to treat the virus and prevent the progression into AIDS. Getting tested for HIV is so simple that you can do it yourself with an at-home HIV testing kit. The only way you can know for sure if you are HIV-positive or not is by getting tested. Anyone who has had unprotected sex or taken risks needs to take their health into their own hands and get tested. It’s also critical to remember that the “window period” between when you first get infected and your body makes enough antibodies to show a positive result can take as much as 6 months. That means that a critical second step that many people forgo is being tested again once the window has cleared.

The vast majority of people who are living with HIV are located in low and middle income countries, with the largest concentration of infected people living in sub-Saharan Africa. Worldwide, it’s estimated that only 75 percent of people are aware of their HIV status, with 79 percent of these people on HIV treatment, and 81 percent of this group able to virally suppress the illness. Therefore, you can enjoy a long and productive life if you are HIV-positive. However, there is no reason why the virus has to continue to spread at such an alarming global rate. And just because you live in a first world country such as America doesn’t mean that you are immune to contracting the virus. HIV is in no way an antiquated disease, but rather it is a current global pandemic that we must conquer through worldwide joint initiatives. While everyone cannot be expected to be pioneering a cure, working on global education initiatives, or even volunteering their time, one thing that everyone can do is get tested and work on education at home. Talk about HIV. Talk about PrEP. Awareness of the disease can and will save lives. Don’t turn a blind eye and allow the virus to spread.