We’ve come a long way from the AIDS scare but a cure has yet to be found.
This December 1st was World AIDS Day. It’s a worldwide event day meant to raise awareness around AIDS and the fight against HIV, and also a moment to reflect on how far the medical community has come in treating the disease. The day is also, of course, a public time to commemorate the lives of those lost to AIDS and AIDS-related illnesses the world over.
What is AIDS?
AIDS stands for “acquired immune deficiency syndrome” and it’s a disease caused by the HIV virus that targets the human immune system. The illness has many treatments that can help suppress the virus, allowing an infected person to live, but there is no known cure to date. AIDS is potentially life-threatening as it wears down at your ability to fight off even the common cold.
How does HIV spread?
HIV spreads through sexual contact, contact with infected blood, the sharing of needles, and from a mother to her child during breast feeding. The HIV virus jumped to humans from a chimpanzee in Central Africa, and studies show it might have done so as far back as the late 1800s.
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According to experts, about 70 million people have been infected with AIDS worldwide and 35 million have died from it. This is since the start of the AIDS pandemic in the 1980s.
Does everyone with AIDS die from it?
In the early days of the AIDS crisis, there was no cure or treatment for the disease and the outlook was grim for those who caught it. Famous people who have died from the disease include Freddy Mercury of Queen, Liberace, Rock Hudson, Anthony Perkins, and Gia Carangi.
Some people died from contracting HIV from interaction with an infected person and others contracted it via tainted blood transfusions. These days, health professionals are aware of the danger of contracting HIV from donated blood and this blood is tested and screened for the disease before being given to patients.
The scene today
We’ve come a long way from the sad days of the 1980s and 90s that saw many people lose their lives to AIDS. Today, treatments are available that allow patients to live prosperous lives with the disease in the form of antiretroviral therapy (ART). This can reduce the amount of HIV in a person’s blood and helps control the progression of the disease. Prevent options also exist for people who are more vulnerable to catching it through something called pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP. When taken properly, the CDC says this treatment can reduce the risk of someone contracting HIV via sex by 99%.
The key is to begin taking HIV ART drugs if you test positive for HIV. This can help prevent your infection from developing into full blown AIDS. If a person doesn’t start taking these drugs after testing positive for HIV, they typically have a few years to live. This life expectancy drops to just one year should they become infected with something like herpes. With proper treatment of HIV with antiretroviral drugs in time, however, a person can live for several decades.
Learning the realities of HIV and AIDS is important to help protect your health. Talk to your doctor about being tested for HIV if you feel you could have it. According to the CDC, anyone who has had sex with more than one partner since their last HIV test, shares needles or drug injection equipment, or exchanges sex for money or drugs should get tested for HIV. If you suspect your partner has been exposed to HIV, you should also be tested.
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