News that a nipper has been cured of HIV was indeed cause for great celebration earlier this year. Chappie still harbours hopes for a cure within his lifetime. But this glimmer of hope shouldn’t blind us of the present reality about HIV. As research by the Medical Research Council in the Lancet journal shows, the number of HIV infections has remained constant over the past decade.
On the rise
This is more than a trifle worrying: 2,300 people a year are still being encumbered by this unremitting beast, while undiagnosed new infections among gay and bisexual men have risen between 2001 and 2010. But most alarming, thinks Chappie, is the fact that HIV has remained constant despite huge advances in treatment and prevention such as retroviral (ARV) treatment.
As vital as it is to report on scientific progress, news of medical advances and ‘cures’ may ironically be perpetuating the spread of HIV. Pink News reports that unsafe sexual practices are on the rise among men who have sex with men, and more gay and bisexual blokes are having unprotected sex now than in the 1990s.
Advice
Chappie’s advice is to not let good news breed reluctance. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus can be contracted through several kinds of sexual contact – from anal to oral, between men and women – and passed on between partners and from parents to their babies. One in 20 gay men in the UK has HIV, which rises to one in 12 in London. But this isn’t a “gay disease”. HIV can be – and is – passed from men to women and vise versa.
Early diagnosis is vital as is safe sex. If you’ve ever had unprotected sex, get tested. There is no point pretending it can’t happen to you and the earlier you know, the more likely you can have a long and healthy life.
Don’t let your guard down. Be safe, and remember to check your chap.