“In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.”
Eleanor Roosevelt
“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not certain about the former.”
Albert Einstein
To begin it, I want to be really clear that I’m not an expert in treatments for HIV or in treatment as prevention. These are just my own thoughts about the concept of treatment as prevention from my own perspective.
I think it’s the latest “thing”.
Like Vera Wang haute couture it’s something the researchers and professionals are trying on to see if it looks good – or at least doesn’t make their butts look big.
We know that people with HIV who have low or undetectable viral loads are far less likely to transmit the virus. This seems to be established fact; at least the Supreme Court of Canada is happy with that assertion. And we know that the way to get to a low or undetectable viral load is by taking our pills and medicines.
And so – voila! Treatment IS prevention…
And we, people living with HIV, are the ones that are yet again responsible for the stupid choices of others.
Sexual behaviours are decisions people make based on all kinds of information and misinformation. If a person “looks” like he or she isn’t infected, maybe they’re not and I’m okay. If I only do some unsafe things and not others, I’ll be fine. If I only choose partners who tell me they’re negative, it’ll be good. If I only screw with other married men/women I’ll be “ddf”…
Whew! That was easy!
And now the researchers and doctors – those really smart people who brought us facially deforming D4T, “Crix Belly” and AZT poisoning (albeit in the old days), are clever enough to to figure that if everyone gets tested and goes on treatment that we’ll all be fine and we won’t see more infections because our viral loads will be undetectable. And after all, we have to protect those people who aren’t infected because apparently they don’t have sense enough to protect themselves against the hoards of ravenously zombie-fied HIV+ predators out there who are willy-nilly infecting the general population, because we have nothing better to do and we are, of course, criminals with criminal minds bent on annihilating the human species…
The mathematics of it all is truly astonishing!
The Pharmaceutical companies will like this new and improved approach because it means potentially greater profits. Not to begrudge them greater profits – this is a capitalist society where making money is more important than love and motherhood.
But in the end, treatment as prevention may be the “Crix Belly” of this particular period in the history of HIV – yet another “let’s see if this one works!” moment to be replaced by another and another as new “methods” are tried to stop stupid people from making stupid decisions.
And the battle will be lost because there are currently no medications for stupidity (although I’m sure the Pharmas are working on that).
In the meantime, us people living with HIV will continue to be the beasts of burden and the yoke we bear will be substantial.