Developments in the clinical treatment of HIV have progressed dramatically since its first appearance back in the 1980’s. Back then, a HIV diagnosis almost always ended in death. Happily, since the advent of effective antiretroviral treatment, this is no longer the case. The life expectancy of someone with HIV who is on antiretroviral treatment is now approximately the same as the rest of the population.
Not only are those of us with HIV living longer, healthier lives, we now know that when we are on effective antiretroviral treatment with a suppressed (“undetectable”) viral load we cannot pass on HIV to our sexual partners. The Undetectable=Untransmittable campaign is working to promote this revolutionary information. Despite this, research indicates that HIV-related stigma is still an enormous challenge. Stigma can impact negatively on physical health, and even more severely on mental health.