HIV/AIDS still misunderstood, spread in Canada

There are about 75,500 people living with HIV in Canada and seven people catch it every day, says Stephanie Rullo of the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR). World AIDS Day on December 1^st is a UN-designated time to dispel some of the myths that abound about the virus and how it is spread.

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Myths abound

Only 56 per cent of Canadians would feel comfortable sharing a kitchen or washroom with someone who is HIV positive, according to a new public opinion poll. Yet there is absolutely no danger the virus can be spread through casual contact. It is only spread when infected bodily fluids such as blood, semen, or breast milk get into another person’s bloodstream.

The same survey showed that most Canadians think it is important to know a partner’s HIV status before having unprotected sex, yet only 55 per cent do ask in such a situation. “What it tells me is that we still have more work to do to let people understand what HIV is and how you contract it and it is something that is worth the conversation,” says Rullo.

A pill won’t cure it

Another survey found that half of high school students think HIV can be cured by taking a pill, which is not true either. “A positive diagnosis of HIV is a life-changing occurrence and we need people to be aware of that,” she says.

A cocktail of medications can reduce the viral load so the virus is virtually not contagious but there may be side effects and the patient faces a lifetime of doctors’ visits, testing, possible hair and weight loss, premature ageing, cancer, kidney or liver failure.

There is still so much stigma around HIV than many people will not disclose the fact that they have it. They need to be treated with compassion and understanding says Rullo. But her ultimate goal is to eradicate the virus.

‘End AIDS once and for all’

“We have to get to zero. We have to end this disease and I think that’s the only way we really are going to get rid of the stigma.

“Continuing to fund research  that is looking in to ground-breaking cures like CANFAR is fundingc continuing to spread messaging around prevention and awareness and finding those new ways that we can prevent HIV and AIDS and the spread of it…that’s the way we’re going to end AIDS once and for all.”