December 1 is World AIDS Day

Though red ribbons have become ubiquitous as symbols of HIV and AIDS awareness, back in 1991 (a decade after the first emergence of the viruses) there was no global symbol of solidarity for people who were living with the implications from those two sets of three not-so-little letters. Working at the behest of Visual AIDS, a New York organization devoted to raising awareness, a group of 12 artists – photographers, painters, filmmakers and costumer designers – gathered to discuss what this symbol could be. What they came up is powerful and direct, and it has become a cultural icon. Red ribbons have become a pivotal part of World AIDS Day; each year since December 1, 1988, we reflect upon the strides we’ve made and the long road we still have to tread.

Though the past several decades have seen remarkable advancements in the resources available to people with HIV and AIDS, there is still great need for awareness. “Stigma has been one of the largest challenges facing HIV positive individuals for the past 30 years and continues to be a barrier today,” says Sarah Raihl, LCSW-C, program coordinator of the HIV Support Services Program at Sinai Hospital. “Many HIV positive individuals deal with feelings of depression, isolation and grief as a result of their fear of disclosing their HIV status to others.”

Many people, for instance, still don’t know what the difference between HIV and AIDS actually is. “HIV, or the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is a virus that a person can become infected with if they are exposed to the blood or reproductive fluid of someone who is already infected. Specifically, it infects certain cells of a person’s immune system,” explains Dr. John Cmar, an internist at Sinai Hospital. “Most people have a flu-like illness shortly after getting infected, but after that passes, the person can feel fine for years before the virus makes them feel sick. During this time, the person is HIV positive but does not have AIDS.”

Cmar adds that, if left untreated for a long time, HIV can eventually cause AIDS. “Untreated HIV infection can also lead to health problems that are not directly due to other infections,” he adds. He is quick to point out that, as time has progressed, there are many antiviral medications which are served in tandem (anyone who has ever seen a TV medical drama has heard the term “cocktail”) and while these drugs can’t cure someone of the infection, they can work toward suppressing the virus.“Newer combinations of medications are more effective at treating HIV and have few side effects,” he says. “[These combinations include] smaller amounts of pills that need to be taken daily, in some cases only one pill a day.”

Sarah Raihl points to the advancements in treating a very specific demographic of patients as an example of how things have improved: “One of the most significant changes is the ability to prevent transmission of HIV from mother to child. Very few children are infected during pregnancy or childbirth now, which is a huge change from 20 years ago.” Raihl adds that women should be tested during pregnancy since there is medication that can reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to their unborn children down to 1 percent in most cases.

The enhanced treatment plans and advanced screening options – Cmar says that one of the biggest developments in the last 10 years has been reliable rapid screening tests for HIV that can be completed in as quickly as 20 minutes – gives researchers hope as they work toward finding more effective solutions, and, of course, a vaccine against HIV. Cmar hopes to see the “unfortunate social stigma” attached to the virus eroding in coming years.

This is the work taken up by dedicated health care professionals. At Sinai Hospital, the HIV Support Services of the M. Peter Moser Community Initiatives Department provides illness counseling, referrals to community HIV and other social services, ongoing care coordination, community and home outreach and a women’s group. Raihl says that medical services are offered by the Infectious Disease Ambulatory Center (IDAC), Greenspring Pediatric Associates, Sinai Community Care OB/GYN and by private physicians. She reports that Sinai Hospital has “greatly expanded the services available to HIV positive individuals over the past two years, adding the ability to provide free medical care through the Department of Medicine and IDAC and more than doubling our capacity to provide support services.”

This World AIDS Day, we can take heart in all of these incredible advancements while vowing to fight for a future without HIV and AIDS. The first step is a simple one: compassion.

Services can be accessed by contacting Sarah Raihl, program coordinator in the M. Peter Moser Community Initiatives Department at 410-601-5372. For medical care, contact the Infectious Disease Ambulatory Center (IDAC) at 410-601-6207.

-Laura Bogart

About Laura Bogart

Laura Bogart is the editorial manager for the marketing department at LifeBridge Health, and the senior writer/editor for Md.MD for Life magazine. She also edits LifeBridge Health's award-winning newsletter The Bridge. She holds an MFA in writing from American University and her work has appeared in numerous literary journals.

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