Rosa had her third child when she was infected with HIV. The baby was born with the virus because at that time Rosa had not received treatment. If she were to get pregnant today, taking the treatment, her child would be born without the infection, as happened when she became a mother for the fourth time. She hid the fact that her child had the virus for a long time. The reason? The stigma.
According to the Ministry of Health, one in ten people who have a relationship with someone with the virus would stop interacting with the carrier. In the school environment, this number rises to three out of ten, even though there has never been a case of transmission in schools. Rosa wanted to take her third child, like her siblings, to swimming. The only option she had was to lie on the enrollment form and not say that her child had HIV. Otherwise, they would not let him participate in any extracurricular activities due to the fear that the virus produces.
When her son was born, the doctor told her that he would die at the age of 5: he just turned 31, is married to his wife, and has a daughter who was born without the virus. He went to the group of children from the Apoyo Positivo association. Today, that group no longer exists because there are no children with HIV. Emilio de Benito, vice president of the National Association of Health Reporters, recalls that “with controlled virus, you don’t infect.” Treatment causes the virus to retreat to the lymph nodes, nullifying its ability to transmit and even be detected. Treating it in a timely manner ensures that it is not transmitted even in unprotected sexual relationships.
Half of the positive cases are heterosexual
“I am not taking it from behind, I am taking it orally” was the phrase that homosexuals used in the 80s because “it seemed like you were less gay,” says De Benito. All because of the false belief that the virus only affected gay men. The disease derived from the virus was then called “dew disease,” “gay cancer,” or “the disease of the four H’s” (homosexuals, drug addicts, hemophiliacs, and Haitians), according to the organization. The statistics show that today, 50% of those infected are heterosexual, and 15% of women also have it. Needle transmissions account for 4% of the total.
De Benito says that when he was diagnosed, it was customary to tell people around you that you had cancer or kidney problems. “Take advantage of your time, because you don’t know how much time you have left,” they told Jesús Carballo, participant of Mr. Gay Spain, who has taken the step of sharing on his social networks that he contracted the virus. Carballo’s daily life involved lying to his family and friends when they asked about his visits to the doctor. He would always respond with “It’s because of my knee problem.” The slogan “Silence = Death” from the New York activist group ACT UP has evolved into the new reality of “Undetectable = Untransmittable” thanks to treatments that began in 1997.
“Taking medication prevents transmission, but for that, you have to be diagnosed,” insists De Benito. The data shows that half of the people with the virus have had late diagnoses. Pedro Soriano, nursing professor at the European University of Madrid and health communicator, explains that the reason for not getting tested is the guilt felt by patients. This has a lot to do with how healthcare professionals communicate when delivering a positive diagnosis. Health professionals do not have training in dealing with patients, explains Soriano. That is why the role of associations is important. “They cover the part of leaving the doctor’s office,” he explains.
Positive Pride
Last year, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first positive case, CESIDA organized the first Positive Pride in Spain. Ramón Espacio Casanovas, general secretary of the organization, explains that “Pride” is a poor translation of “Orgullo” in Spanish. “The pride lies in the response to HIV,” explains Casanovas. “Living with HIV is not, per se, an identifying trait, it is not something to be proud or not proud of. However, we are proud of the contributions of people with HIV to the global response to this pandemic and to the achievements in equality, dignity, and rights of vulnerable populations,” he emphasizes. The goal has now been expanded. The initial objective was for 95% of people infected with the virus to know their status, known as the 3-95 (diagnose, treat, detect). Now, the new goal is to combat the consequences of social stigma.
This October they will take to the streets again to demand visibility for the 150,000 people living with the virus in Spain. “What is not seen, does not exist” encompasses the activities that will be held in 7 cities. The main focus of this edition is culture, which will fill the shop windows of collaborating businesses for at least 15 days, explains Ramón Espacio. “Street art has always been a tool for visibility and social transformation,” explains Toni Poveda, director of CESIDA. “That is why, once again, we are committed to conquering public space through art, including the march on October 21 in Madrid.”
Last year, they became the first organization to stage a play at the Ministry of Health. In this edition, they will screen the documentary film “Soy Visible” at the ministry headquarters. The film is a portrait of the first Positive Pride with the support of the Ministries of Health, Equality, and Culture and Sports.
The first self-diagnostic test for HIV is now available in pharmacies
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2023-10-13 19:17:49
