Behind the old myths, the new realities of living with HIV

MATT is 41, and was diagnosed as HIV positive in 1997. He thought he had better take the test quickly, because his partner had just been given a positive blood test result, and they had fallen into having unprotected sex when their relationship became long-term.

"I had seen all the terrible billboard posters of tombstones in the years before and initially thought 'this is the end'." says Matt. "I was devastated – we both were – but I was told that new antiretroviral treatments had come in which made the condition much more manageable than years before. At first, I was taking 20 tablets a day, with some nasty side-effects like nausea and diarrhoea, but now I only take three tablets a day and have no problems at all, so long as I take them when I should."

Matt's health is very good, despite treatment for cancer five years ago. He is one of around 85,000 people in the UK who are living with HIV, with another 6,500 people diagnosed each year. The Health Protection Agency says 391 people in Yorkshire and the Humber were diagnosed with the condition in 2009 –lower than in most areas of the country – and although this figure shows a second year-on-year decline in the number of new diagnoses, there's evidence to suggest that there has been no decline in the number of undiagnosed infections in the last decade.

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Almost a quarter of those with HIV had not been tested for the infection. The HPA also reports that over half of those diagnosed in 2009 were diagnosed late, after the stage where treatment should have started, meaning they might not benefit from effective treatments.

The HPA would like to see increased access to HIV testing in areas where rates of HIV infection are high. Pilot studies have shown that in these places testing all adults registering at GP practices can have a major impact. Areas of high HIV infection rate include those where the population includes large numbers of immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa, where the incidence of HIV is very high. This Wednesday's 27th World Aids Day will see a free conference in Leeds organised by HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust. Its aim is to give professionals, whose work may bring them into contact with people with HIV, a greater understanding of what it's like to live with the condition.

"The conference is for people like teachers, GPs, youth services and care home staff," says Naomi McCulloch of THT. "HIV is not a problem that has gone away just because we no longer see the kind of headlines , although things have improved enormously for people living with it. In the last 30 years, the outlook has got so much better health-wise, and prejudice and stigma have reduced. But there is still a good deal of ignorance. People with HIV/Aids mostly don't feel they can be open about themselves because prejudice does still exist."

Ms McCulloch says the most pervasive myths are that HIV can be passed on through kissing, holding hands, hugging or sharing toilets with those infected. Contrary to the popular misconception that sees HIV as a gay men's condition, in Yorkshire and the Humber only 29 per cent of those diagnosed are in a homosexual relationship.

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"The main routes to the infection are unprotected sex, mother-to-child infection during childbirth, and breastfeeding – although this one can be significantly reduced by drugs taken during pregnancy," says McCulloch. "Overall, the picture now is much better for anyone diagnosed, as they are much less likely to die from causes related to HIV/Aids these days. But still, around 25 per cent of those with the infection remain undiagnosed, and we need to

see more trials of "opt-in" testing of all those joining doctors' surgeries in high-risk areas, as late diagnosis is more likely to mean an Aids diagnosis within a year – although this can still be treated. What we are fighting now is complacency."

Matt feels some people's reluctance to get tested for HIV may be associated with fear of society's attitude. "I have come across doctors who know very little about HIV and told me I 'should know better', dentists who put a great big 'HIV' stamp on your file and sterilise everything twice after treating you, and other health professionals who have been fantastic. I've seen friends I've told disappear overnight, and others whose reaction has been a pleasant surprise. In general there is still a lot of education to be done before the barrier of prejudice is overcome."

For information about the World Aids Day conference ,call 0113 246 9272

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