HIV NO LONGER HAS TO BE A DEATH SENTENCE

Gareth Thomas is proof that HIV no longer has to be considered a death sentence. When a person with HIV takes antiviral medication regularly it can result in the HIV virus becoming so low in your body that it’s classed as ‘undetectable’, which is the case for Gareth. This means it can’t be passed on to someone else. However, this doesn’t mean that HIV can be cured, as if you stop taking the antiviral medication the amount of virus in your body would increase again, so it’s a lifelong treatment. If HIV is picked up early and the right treatment is started, it’s not life threatening, so early diagnosis and education is so important. If HIV is left untreated for many years it can develop into AIDS, which can be life threatening. Luckily, advances in medicine have given many people who have HIV the chance to live a long and healthy life like Gareth. His documentary HIV And Me was so inspirational and hopefully someone as well known as him coming out and speaking about his experience is a step in the right direction to more people getting tested and diagnosed so they can seek treatment.