World Aids Day

World AIDS Day is an International Day of Observance. It has been held every year on 1 December since 1988 to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS. The day honours those who have died from AIDS-related illnesses and shows solidarity with people living with HIV.

“In loving memory of all the bright lights we lost to AIDS” appeared on the screen above Madonna during her Celebration World Tour in 2023 as she dedicated “Live to Tell” to the victims of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Madonna’s story is personal, her best friend Martin Burgoyne was a victim of the silence and stigma that surrounded this period of denial.

For many it’s moments like this, It’s A Sin, Pose, or Queen and Freddie Mercury that are the closest we come to HIV/AIDS. It is something that happened, we talk about it using the past tense. Some may consider it to be geographically distant too, something that was happening in sub-Saharan Africa. Occasionally it has been used to sell newspapers: The Sun spent a week titillating its readers with which Hollywood star they were going to expose as living with HIV.

I share my experience with the estimated 106,890 other people living with HIV in the UK (figures from the Terrence Higgins Trust). I take one tablet once a day that contains four different drugs, known as a fixed dose combination. I have taken this tablet daily since 2013 and have maintained an undetectable viral load since 2014.

Having an undetectable viral load also means that the virus is untransmittable. U=U is the abbreviation used for Undetectable = Untransmittable. Someone who is on effective HIV treatment will achieve a viral load within their bloodstream that does not register when a blood test is administered, hence ‘undetectable’. Medically a person with a viral load suppression below 200 copies per ml of blood will also mean a person cannon transmit the virus.

A number of global long-term studies has led the UK government to adopt the undetectable = untransmittable (or U=U) global 95/95/95 aim. In England, 95% of those living with HIV have been diagnosed. Of that 95%, 99% are on HIV treatment and 98% of those on treatment have an undetectable viral load. In Scotland, 92% of people living with HIV are diagnosed; 97% of those people attending specialist services are accessing antiretroviral treatment, and 94% of people accessing treatment have an undetectable viral load.

A continuing barrier that exists globally for the UN 95/95/95 aim is stigma. Stigma abounds in both the LGBTQ+ community and outside. There is a need to combat this so people test frequently, take better care of their health (such as by using PrEP - a combination of medicines taken to reduce the risk of getting HIV) and to communicate with their sexual partners.

Rather than stigmatising people we should be providing spaces for them to seek support and information to live healthier lives.

If you are living with HIV, equality law protects you from poor treatment at work because of your disability. Find out more by accessing our resources in PCS Digital.

PCS Proud recognises the impact HIV/AIDS had on our community, the support provided by lesbians, and the stigma that still sadly survives. Register for PCS Proud or find out more information by emailing [email protected]