Miss Priss shares the facts and debunks HIV myths

Share the facts, debunk HIV myths

Dear Miss Priss,
What’s the deal with AIDS these days? Back in the ‘80s, it was huge. Now, I hardly hear anything about it! I don’t think I’ve got it or anything, but – what? – have we found a cure for it or something?
Signed,
Kinda Curious.

Dear Curious,
Wow – you and about a gazillion other people on this planet are wondering the same thing, sweetie! But I’m really glad you asked, because let me tell you, HIV is here and now, and not going away anytime soon. But you know what they say: Denial ain’t just hitting Holt Renfrew with your overdraft as protection! So, let’s stop the wondering and start the fact-finding.

Here are a few of the most powerful myths about HIV – and the truth behind them.

HIV makes you super sick.
Well, not exactly. HIV is a virus that attacks the immune system, leaving our bodies vulnerable to all the stuff floating around in our environment that could make us really sick. Over time, HIV can cause such damage to the immune system that it can’t bounce back, giving more serious illnesses the opportunity to strike – and possibly kill. This stage of HIV infection, where someone’s immune strength is severely compromised, is known as “AIDS.”

Only gay people and drug users get it.
Honey, if you believe this, then I’ve got some pristine oceanfront property off the Gulf of Mexico I’d like to sell you! That fact is that, globally, most infections are occurring among heterosexuals who don’t use protection during sex. HIV spreads primarily through sharing sex fluids and blood, usually through unprotected sex and sharing needles for injection, tattooing, or piercing. So please – please! – don’t delude yourself that it couldn’t happen to you! Not only is delusion boring (well, unless it includes Mr. Jude Law and a riding crop), but it’s also dangerous. That’s how people get infected in the first place! If you have sex without a condom, or inject/do body art with someone else’s needles, you’re playing “Russian Roulette” with your health.

HIV can be cured.
This one always leaves me shaking my head. Repeat after me, people: HIV can’t be cured! However, it CAN be treated – often with a high degree of success. With the right medications and specialized care, someone with HIV can expect a life of relatively good health, and a significant delay of the AIDS stage of the infection. For many, this can mean a fairly average lifespan. To find out the HIV care options in your community, call your local public health unit. Or, contact the Canadian AIDS Treatment and Information Exchange for information on HIV/AIDS and referral to regional AIDS organizations (ww.catie.com).

You can tell when you’ve been infected.
Ummm… really? How about – NO! Not everyone gets physical symptoms of recent HIV infection – and even then, they often mimic the flu. In fact, about 20,000 Canadians could be living with HIV right now and not know it, simply because they feel fine and have never been tested. Listen up: the only way to tell if you have HIV is to get an HIV blood test. (Read that again so you don’t forget, kids!)

In most places, the HIV tests available take about 4-6 weeks after a risk activity before it can tell whether you’ve been infected. Your doctor can give you a test, as well as any clinic or hospital. But, for me, I like to go and see the “rock stars of HIV testing” – specialized HIV testing clinics, where the staff are really in-the-know and super-confidential. For more info on HIV testing and where to find a testing clinic in your area, check out the Public Health Agency of Canada’s website at www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/aids-sida/info/4-eng.php.

If you have it, you must’ve done something to deserve it.
Don’t make me spear you with my vintage ‘70s tomato-red ankle-strap heels! (Kidding – I wouldn’t risk my beloveds… they don’t make shoes like that anymore.) OK, ok… so, here’s the thing: nobody “deserves” this thing. We’re all human. We all feel pain, make mistakes, look for love and sometimes lose. What if it happened to you? What would you need from your fellow human beings?

Judgment is like a bad martini: it might look good and make you feel powerful but in the end, all you really get is a nasty hangover. However how someone gets HIV is their business. What counts is how we live with it and how we help each other out. If we can fly to the moon, love again after heart-break, rebuild after atrocity, and conjure bliss like Miles Davis… we can beat this thing, even if we can’t cure it. The key is hope – in ourselves, and on one another.

So, Dear Curious… when it comes to HIV, it’s the facts we want to share – not the virus. So, tell folks what you know and don’t forget to get tested. And above all – have safe sex, use clean needles, and dance proud!

Yours wonderfully,
Miss Priss