I'm a couple of days late, but December 1st was World AIDS Day, a day dedicated to combatting misinformation and supporting those living with HIV and AIDS. This year marks the 26th year of the epidemic since being announced June 5, 1981 and has since become a global pandemic, claiming more than 25 million lives. An estimated 39.4 million people currently live with the disease.
In 1981, our understanding was small and misinformation ran rampant. The first name, Gay-Related Immune Deficiency or GRID, was based on the belief that only gay men were susceptible. It wasn't until the following year that GRID was renamed to a more neutral name, AIDS. After that, it took another 2 years to April 23rd, 1984 before the cause of AIDS was discovered. During this span, our lack of knowledge resulted in widespread infections and terrible stigma.
We have improved a great deal in these 26 years, but there is still great misinformation. 37% believe HIV can be spread be kissing. 22% believe that sharing a drinking glass risks infection. Many still fear infection from mosquito bites, coughs, and sneezes. In 2005, then-Senate majority leader and medical doctor, Bill Frist, expressed that he was unsure whether "tears and sweat can transmit HIV". This is even less surprising when viewed in the context that the sex education programs being pushed at that time taught that, "HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, can be spread via sweat and tears", "[c]ondoms fail to prevent HIV transmission as often as 31 percent of the time in heterosexual intercourse", and "half the gay male teenagers in the United States have tested positive for the AIDS virus".
As important as battling the disease itself is overcoming the misinformation and stigma that still plagues our understanding of AIDS. I encourage everyone to take the time to inform yourself. I also encourage you to be tested for HIV even if you feel that you are not a member of a "high-risk" group. After 26 years, ignorance can no longer be an excuse.
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