HIV reality

Old nemesis remains a threat that demands taking a simple test.

As the nation focuses its attention on the Zika virus and the particular danger it poses to pregnant women, an old nemesis seemingly has faded from the public consciousness even as it remains a serious public heath threat.

While the Zika virus can cause birth defects as well as neurological problems, the HIV/AIDS virus can lead to death. There still is no cure. That’s why taking an HIV test can be so critically important, especially for those who fall into “high-risk” categories, such as gay and bisexual men, those with multiple sex partners and those who inject illegal drugs.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and organizations that monitor HIV/AIDS statistics, more than 1.2 million people throughout the United States are living with HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS. More than 20,000 of those infected are living in Houston, and 1 in 5 people living with HIV in Houston don’t know they have it.

African Americans are most affected by HIV as well as Hispanic/Latinos, with gay and bisexual men accounting for 67 percent of all new HIV diagnoses in 2014, the CDC reports. In the same year, individuals infected through heterosexual sex made up 24 percent of all new HIV diagnoses.

Dr. Monisha Arya, a faculty member at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston who develops HIV testing media campaigns for patients and physicians, said 1 in 4 people in Houston find out they have HIV after it is too late — at or near the time of an AIDS diagnosis.

“No matter your race, religion, ethnicity, age or gender, you could be infected with HIV. Even if you feel healthy, you might be infected. It’s important to get tested to find out,” Arya said in June to promote National HIV Testing Day. That day passed without fanfare, but it signaled an important milestone for the United States, according to the AIDSVu website, marking the 35th anniversary of the country’s first AIDS diagnosis — “a reminder of the progress we have made in addressing HIV, but also a call to action.”

We encourage Houstonians to heed the call. HIV testing typically is free with health insurance; according to Arya, many sites also offer it for free or at low cost without insurance.

While there is no cure for HIV/AIDS, a cocktail of medications, especially if started near the time of diagnosis, make it possible to control the virus, allowing those infected to live a healthy life, as in the case of Olympians Greg Louganis diagnosed with HIV in 1988 and Ervin “Magic” Johnson, diagnosed in 1991.

Awareness is key: With early testing, healthy lives are possible.