Despite Woman’s Cure, HIV Stigma Still Exists

In a bit of tremendously good news, a woman has been cured of HIV. She is the third person in the world known to no longer require antiretroviral medications to suppress the virus. 

The “New York patient,” as she is currently known, was cured by means of a stem cell transplant from someone with a natural resistance to HIV. This is not a treatment that would ever be prescribed to the vast majority of HIV-positive individuals because of its invasive methods. 

This is great news, no question. However, this is not a sign of a cure for HIV. Not even close. This was a very particular, very rare treatment prescribed to a very sick person. The curing of HIV was a bonus in this instance. 

The truth is, no matter how many advances we make in terms of HIV, there is still a massive, damaging amount of stigma attached to it. 

No Longer A Death Sentence

When the AIDS epidemic in America was first established in 1981, it was a death sentence. You would walk into the doctor’s office thinking you had a bad flu and moments later you were told you had three months to live. 

HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. Often people died not from AIDS but from complications related to it. Pneumonia, for example. The virus mutates so rapidly that, at the time, it was incredibly difficult to keep up with. 

We lost a lot of good people in those decades.

More Manageable Than Diabetes

Today, HIV is more manageable than it has ever been. In the 90s, the expected treatment for HIV would be a cocktail of drugs. Different combinations of different drugs all aimed at suppressing the virus. 

HIV attacks the immune system. You don’t die from HIV/AIDS, you die from a disease your body wasn’t able to fight off with its immune system. 

It’s an insidious little virus, ain’t it? 

We no longer need a cocktail of drugs to suppress HIV. Now, those infected with the virus only need to take one daily pill. And that’s it. 

An HIV-positive person, when taking their medication, is able to bring their viral level down to an undetectable level. Being HIV-undetectable is as good as being HIV-negative. It means the virus is at a level where it cannot damage the immune system. AND it means that the virus is no longer transmittable. 

There’s even a daily pill available to prevent HIV infection. It’s known as PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis). If you take this pill, you will not be infected with HIV. 

It is truly remarkable how far we’ve come in terms of treatment. In 40 years, we’ve gone from death sentence to manageable condition. 

And yet, HIV-positive folks are often treated with disdain, isolation, and downright discrimination. 

Having HIV is NOT a Moral Failing

Despite all the incredible advances, despite all of the activism, there are people who still hold damaging feelings about HIV-positive people. 

HIV stigma can come about in a few forms: believing only certain types of people can get HIV; moral judgments against those who are infected; and misinformation about how the virus is spread. 

Even within the gay community, one of a few stigmatized communities heavily affected by HIV, there is a swath of HIV stigma.

This is not only wrong but deeply damaging. Nobody wants HIV. Nobody deserves HIV. And nobody deserves to be isolated for their HIV status. 

A woman cured of HIV is incredible news and it should be celebrated. The advancements in treatment should be celebrated. HIV-positive folks should be accepted for who they are. 

And anyone who thinks HIV-positive people should be treated any differently because of their status is wrong.