Common misconceptions about HIV have a devastating impact on people living with the virus. But HIV is now treatable, and just one pill a day means it can’t be passed on. And if HIV can’t be passed on, we can end new cases in Scotland. Find out more about HIV at HIVstigma.scot
Stigma persists around HIV because of outdated perceptions of the virus and what it means to be HIV positive today, writes Sinclair Laing. December 1 is World AIDS Day. Or World HIV Day, as we prefer. Stop: that’s not your cue to click away! It’s an important day of recognition, but it’s far from your preconceived story of doom and gloom. If I may indulge for a moment, I’ll tell you a little about me, a person living a long, healthy, fun, open, professional, loving, and very fulfilling life here in the Granite City – with HIV. Before being diagnosed a decade ago, I had those ideas of HIV misery that perpetuated. Most of us did, except the few better informed. When I was diagnosed, I went through all the emotions: swore (loudly), cried (a fair bit), feared, blamed and shamed myself. I thought I’d die young and never be loved. But,...
When I was 29, back in 1996 I was diagnosed with HIV. It was a different world back then compared to what it is like now. My CD4 (white blood cell count) was down to 30 – in a healthy person it can be around 1,000. I was told I had two to three months to live. That was an awful time for me, dealing with that knowledge and being so very ill, yet not really able to tell anyone because of the stigma associated with HIV. However, more than 25 years after diagnosis, I am still here, living a full and healthy life and comfortable talking about my status. In that time, a lot of advances have been made around HIV. I used to have to take over 150 tablets per week, nowadays I only need to take one tablet a day. I, along with a couple of friends and...
In partnership with OPVG December 1, 2021, 9:00 am Stopping the transmission of HIV in Aberdeen and beyond – is it possible? The answer is yes! Here’s how the reality of living with HIV has changed and how you can help stop the transmission of HIV. Today is World Aids Day, which takes place annually on December 1. It’s a day to reflect and focus, to show support for those living with HIV and commemorate those who are no longer with us. And that makes it the perfect time to take a closer look at what it means to be HIV positive today, and how we can all help stop the transmission of HIV. What to know about HIV today With HIV tests, treatment, prevention and care we could be the generation that helps stop the transmission of HIV. But there are still a lot of myths and misinformation about what...
From The Press and Journal https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/aberdeen/2801140/hiv-aids-myths/ by Ellie House January 10, 2021, 1:15 pm The screen flickers to life as the voice-over echoes, and sinister music climbs to a frenzy. A horror movie perhaps, as dramatic scenes show exploding lava and an avalanche of rocks. “There is now a danger which has become a threat to us all,” warns actor John Hurt, deadpan and serious. Rock is chipped away by a chisel and a gravestone looms into view. There is one final warning as a white lily is dropped on to a coffin lid and a single death knell rings out. It is 1986, and public information films concerning HIV/Aids are commonplace. Fast forward a few decades and we are now far more educated about HIV, both as a society and within the world of medicine. Treatment has moved on, as has public opinion. But the legacy and subsequent stigma from the...
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