Changing the way we talk about HIV, by Peter Richards

Peter Richards is an advanced nurse practitioner from our specialist unit that provides services for people who are living with HIV.

In this article Peter explains how the words we use matter. If we change the way we talk about HIV we can help remove negative attitudes and opinions that lead to HIV stigma.

Ending stigma will help more people get tested and treated for HIV.

What's in a word?

Every year, World AIDS Day is held on 01 December.? It’s a day to remember the 40 million lives lost to HIV globally and to spread the word about developments in HIV care.? As well as updating members of the public and healthcare colleagues about these changes, it’s an opportunity to tackle issues of HIV-related stigma head on.?

And the news is good, very good.? If you are someone living with HIV, on treatment with an undetectable level of virus, then it’s not possible to transmit the virus to others. In other words undetectable = untransmittable.? With treatment and support, mums living with HIV can give birth to HIV negative babies. For all people living with HIV, life expectancy approaches the same as people living without HIV and treatment options are numerous, including an injectable version of antiretroviral therapy, freeing some patients from a life-time of daily pill taking.

But HIV still remains a challenge.?Fear of HIV is still prevalent in the general population and fear gives rise to stigma.?The root cause of most HIV-related illness and death in resource-rich settings like the UK usually boils down to stigma.?

Stigma means people are less likely to be tested or seek treatment for HIV.? Undiagnosed or untreated HIV infection reduces immunity over time and can be transmitted to others.?And disturbingly, stigma and discrimination in healthcare systems are still reported worldwide as well. So we need to get people tested, and if positive, engaged in care and taking treatment.

One way to reduce stigma is to change the way we talk about HIV.

AIDS, as term, has had a complicated history.?Not a condition in itself, AIDS refers to a range of conditions that occurs when someone’s immune system is weakened by HIV. It’s the word that was used so effectively, and frighteningly, in the 80s and early 90s, before effective treatment was available. It’s a loaded term that brings back memories of TV ads featuring tombstones, and images on the news of skeletal patients living without any effective treatment options.?

Thankfully the world has changed, so the way we talk about it needs to change. If the recent cultural debates about racism, sexism and LGBTQI+ rights have taught us anything, it’s that the language we use is powerful. The term AIDS, in World AIDS Day, recognises the many lives lost to HIV when there was no any treatment available.?Today we talk about HIV, not AIDS, we don’t refer to “HIV positive patients” but “People living with HIV”.?

We are all more than our medical conditions, whatever conditions we might have.

You can self refer to our specialist outpatient services for people who are living with HIV. Please visit our website for more information.

#WAD2023 #HIV #TeamGSTT