They Stopped Talking...

 

During the 80s - early 00s, the conversation on HIV was loud & very present.  In the medical arena, in the social scene, on media, etc... In the last decade or so, they've redefined HIV as manageable & the discussions dwindled.  Articles like this piece, point out how knowledge of HIV has dropped.  It peaked in GenX & dropped drastically by GenZ.   That brought a lack of comfort with being near someone HIV+.  It also strengthened the stigma machine.

Is HIV manageable?  Yes, but only with awareness, education, knowledge, testing, treatment & outreach.  Without those & a lot of funds, the virus will surge again & possibly become more dangerous than before.

It's the media & health officials' responsibility to keep this information active.  But, it's also on you to educate & protect yourself.  There are meds for HIV, but it is still here & can lead to death if not treated.

Educate yourself, take care.

Cya...

Less Tolerant...

 

I've posted on HIV stigma a lot.   I think it's a useless fight.  Stigma against whatever is a method people use to establish social hierarchy & it's never going away.  Somethings, like HIV, currently have higher levels of stigma than others, but that changes over time.   In the past, it's been being a heretic, interracial marriages, being half blooded, being left handed, etc...  Stigma may change but it never leaves.

This article from Forbes is about how Americans are becoming less tolerant of having HIV+ coworkers.  It talks about intolerance.  It also states GenZ is the least knowledgeable concerning the virus & people living with it.

Do note the word tolerant is used a lot.  If someone is tolerating something, it generally means they wouldn't if they felt they had options.  To these people an HIV+ coworker is just another challenging, appalling thing they have to deal with their lives.  If given a choice they'd get rid of the irritant.

Stigma is real & it can be dangerous.  You don't owe anyone the truth about your health.  Unless you have to talk about, it's probably best left unsaid.  If it becomes public knowledge, it will color how people see you & how they treat you.  Can you afford that; financially, socially, emotionally...?

This is reality, a lot of people are just looking for a reason to remove others from their daily lives.   For many HIV will be the reason.  Some others may tolerate you just to up their social cred.  Only a few will just accept you.  Stick to them when you can.

Cya...

They Don't Know...

I've blogged a lot about HIV awareness & education.  Still, society has moved more towards pure prevention, mostly via treatment.  Maybe those people should read this article.  According to this piece, Gen Z & later millennials have a much lower understanding of the virus than previous generations.  

28% avoid hugging, talking to or being friends with a HIV+ person

30% prefer not to interact socially with someone HIV+

41% Gen Z people said were not well informed about HIV, which differs from the 23% of the older millennials 

67% were most concerned about HIV compared to other STIs,  54% said they don’t use condoms or PrEP 

75% millennials & 60% Gen Z people overall living with HIV contracted via sex without condoms or PrEP

The rest of the article goes on about how some are trying to counter these stats.  It details the writer's frustrations.  30+ years of HIV & this is where we're at.  Yes, that's frustrating.  HIV will only be beaten by information & awareness.  No amount of medicine alone will solve this problem.

Cya...