I have recently had training from a Manchester based charity called the George House Trust which provides advice and support for HIV sufferers in the North West of England. Something I learnt at training has had a profound effect on me, and I have told next to every person I have since seen. Just like me, not one of these victims of my babbling had been aware of this beforehand:
For those being treated with effective HIV medication, it is next to impossible to pass on the HIV virus to somebody else.
They call this Treatment by Prevention. In other words, the more people they can help get medicated, the fewer people out there who can pass it on.
Speaking frankly, although I knew much of the talk surrounding HIV was based on myths, I always felt that being in a relationship with a sufferer would probably be too much for me. Nobody was worth the risk of my infection.
Reflecting on the way I used to feel about HIV, I realise that much of it comes from my sex eduction. Albeit mine was approaching a decade ago and I don't know how much it has changed, but I remember HIV/AIDs being presented as something separate from other STIs. Whilst the others were a bit nasty, they were treatable. We were never informed of the progress in modern medication, perhaps because those informing us were living in the previous mentality surrounding HIV. We were never told that if you did contract it, your world wouldn't melt away before you.
The man I was trained with has been living with HIV for several decades. His life expectancy is no different from mine or yours.
I'm really looking forward to working for this charity and debunking more myths, and I encourage you to go and tell one person about Treatment by Prevention.
