Rachel Cox
In 1981, a terrifying and mysterious epidemic swept through the US and, inevitably, the UK. By the end of the year, hundreds of seemingly healthy, gay, young men were dying of rare diseases like Kaposi’s sarcoma and Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia (PCP). Termed the ‘gay plague’, the AIDs epidemic tore through the vibrant queer community throughout the decade, contributing to the homophobia of the era and leaving a mark that we still can’t quite shake.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that evolves quickly and infects immune cells (like CD4 T cells), making it difficult for the body to detect and remove the virus. Typically, to get rid of a virally infected cell, the body will destroy it; however, when the cells you are destroying are immune cells, your natural defence against other diseases is weakened too. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which is also called Advanced HIV Disease (AHD), is a more severe version of HIV where the CD4 T cell count is less than 200 cells/mm3 of blood.
Although HIV/ AIDS may seem a thing of the past, there were an estimated 40.8 million people living with HIV at the end of 2024, with 630,000 individuals dying from HIV-related causes. There is currently no cure, and prevention is vital, so how can we keep ourselves safe and protected?
INFECTED INDIVIDUALS ARE NOT ALWAYS SYMPTOMATIC AND THE SYMPTOMS THAT DO SHOW ARE STANDARD FLU-LIKE ONES
Signs, symptoms, and protection
HIV is spread more easily during the first few weeks of infection. Unfortunately, infected individuals are not always symptomatic, and the symptoms that do show are standard flu-like ones like fever, headache, rash, and sore throat, making HIV difficult to spot. As the illness progresses, it weakens the immune system, leading to swollen lymph nodes, weight loss, fever, cough, and diarrhoea. Death from HIV-associated causes was brutal, with Peter Godfrey-Faussett, a junior doctor in the 1980,s saying “many of those needing care suffered severe weight loss and were often skeletal. Others had torrential diarrhoea, neurological problems or skin diseases.” Without treatment, patients can go on to develop other severe illnesses like tuberculosis (TB) and severe bacterial infections. 
As we know, prevention is key, but how do we actually prevent the disease? HIV is transmitted through bodily fluids, so as individuals we can reduce the spread of disease by using male or female condoms during sex, being tested for HIV and other STIs, being circumcised if you are male, and using harm reduction services if you inject and use drugs. Another preventative method is using Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). PrEP is an antiretroviral medication that HIV-negative individuals can take to reduce the risk of contracting the disease.
”THERE IS STILL MUCH MORE WORK TO DO” – PETER GODFREY-FAUSSETT
Although we have treatment options for HIV, they do not cure the disease. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is useful in allowing patients to rebuild their immune response, which stops symptoms and allows them to live full lives. However, ART must be taken every day for the duration of one’s life. Despite the ongoing battle with HIV, we have made significant progress with it now being a manageable condition rather than a death sentence, but the fight continues.
“We’ve come a long way, but there is still much more work to do.”
Rachel Cox
Feature image courtesy of Bermix Studio on Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona on Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
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