On a sunny, September Saturday, 300 people attended the yearly AIDS walk outside the Utah state Capitol. The annual walk had an 80's theme, complete with leg warmers, mall hair, and 80's classic jams. The theme of the walk was a reminder of the fun, flashy side of the era. The theme also served as a contrast to the darker side of the decade. The 80's were the epicenter of not only the AIDS and HIV crisis, but also the height of the stigma and outright fear attached to a positive diagnosis.

HIV is a viral infection that attacks the cells that help the body fight off infection in the infected individual. This compromise of the immune system leaves the system more vulnerable to other infections and diseases. HIV is spread by contact of bodily fluids of an infected individual, most commonly through unprotected sexual encounters. HIV has no cure, and the body cannot get rid of the virus. If left untreated, HIV can lead to AIDS, which is the late stage of HIV. AIDS occurs when the number of CD4 cells falls below 200 cells per millimeter of blood or the patient develops one or more opportunistic infections. Medication regimens can allow patients to never enter into the late, or AIDS stage of the virus.

In the 80's a wealth of misinformation made the general population afraid of HIV or AIDS exposure, and made pariahs of those who were living with a positive diagnosis. The treatment of and prognosis for HIV and AIDS positive individuals has leaped forward by lightyears since the era of Reagan and Jazzercise. As AIDS and HIV swept through America, the fear was so strong , it was a scandal when a popular teen actress named Alyssa Milano kissed HIV positive advocate Ryan White on a daytime television talk show. One driving force of the stigma was the harsh reality that in the 80's and 90's, an HIV positive status was a death sentence. This, combined with the mistaken idea only "bad people" were at risk of exposure fueled the fires of fear and hate.

Now, in the bright future of 2019, not only has the stigma of living with HIV decreased, but the prognosis is much different. With the right combination of medications, the viral load of an HIV positive patient can be lowered down to a manageable, and sometimes negligible, amount. The fact that HIV is now a diagnosis you can live with, combined with more and more celebrities coming forward with their diagnosis, has changed public perception and fear about HIV.

Availability and education about prevention of spreading HIV has played a large role in getting the epidemic under control. PrEP, used as both pre and post exposure prophylaxis, as well as the before mentioned medications to lower viral load, can ensure full, long lives for patients.

So enjoy the nostalgia of the return of the 80's aesthetic, but remember how far we have come in the treatment and stigma of HIV.

HIV.gov

Healthline

CDC