I told my parents after I was blackmailed.. it was hardest thing I’ve done
Of UK diagnoses drops
because it meant he didn’t have the stigma towards it many people have – and nothing daunts him.
“There are so many false misconceptions, outdated opinions and inaccurate information on the internet about HIV.
“Doctors always say do not Google, ‘ What will happen if I have HIV?’ The medication I’m on now makes the virus untransmittable.
“There’s no possibility of it being transmission, healthcare-related work and blood products.
The cause of the remaining diagnoses is unknown.
The Public Health England statistics show that 96,142 people receive care for HIV, a large rise from 65,249 in 2009.
The virus has passed between passed on at all from anything – blood, saliva or sex. People will say, ‘ You’ve got HIV because of your lifestyle.’ But they’ll also have diabetes or high blood pressure because of their lifestyle.
DIFFERENCE
“I’ve learned to cope with my diagnosis and I always say now, ‘I’m living with HIV’. I know I have HIV, but HIV doesn’t have me. It doesn’t control me. I live with humans for decades but was only identified in the 1980s.
Sufferers experience a short flu-like illness then, as HIV weakens their immune system, show signs of other ailments.
These include weight loss, night sweats, an increase in cold sore outbreaks and swollen it. It’s easier for me to say it in that terminology because it makes it easier for me to accept.
“It makes such a difference. In our dayto- day lives me and Stephen never mention HIV now because there’s no need to. It’s under control and Stephen and Anna both know what they need to know.”
Gareth made headlines around the world when he glands. Till the early 90s, most people with HIV were later diagnosed with AIDS.
Now, thanks to modern anti-retroviral treatment, very few in the UK develop serious HIV-related illnesses.
Last year there were 473 deaths among HIV sufferers. came out while still a professional rugby union star in December 2009.
In 2010 he was voted one of the 101 most influential gay people in the UK and received Stonewall’s Hero of the Year award.
He has since advised a range of sportsmen, from diver Tom Daley to cricketer Steven Davies, on what to expect when they share the secret of their sexuality.
And he now hopes that by revealing he is HIV positive he can again inspire others. Gareth adds: “I’ll never be proud of being HIV positive, but I accept it and I’m okay about it now.
“I couldn’t have even imagined doing this six months ago, but I’m ready now.
“I hope by telling my story I can help other people. That’s what I want to achieve.”