Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
Suzanne Cole, a newlywed young mother, was shocked when she was diagnosed with the disease hiv,
At the age of 30, Ms Cole was tested for the virus after a routine immigration test in the US in 1999, but never believed he was in danger,
“it just it didn’t occur to me for a moment that one hiv test She will come back positive,” he said Independent,
Still struggling with the diagnosis, her doctor gave Ms. Cole another round of devastating news – that she only had seven years left to live.
“He knew very little about hiv And said ‘the good news is you don’t have syphilis’, and then ‘the bad news is you’re HIV positive’.”
Now, more than 25 years later, Ms Cole has defied the doctor’s prediction. She has campaigned for people living with HIV over the past two decades and also founded a non-profit organization that addresses health inequalities affecting black women.
Isolated from her family in the UK, Ms Cole was careful about who she told and only turned to close friends and family for support. But one thing that helped him through the process of his HIV diagnosis was research.
She said, “My way of dealing with my diagnosis was to find out everything I could about HIV, and I soon realized that the doctor was wrong and that I could live as long as anyone else.” “I think knowledge has been the most empowering thing for me.”
according to nhsHIV is spread through infected bodily fluids entering someone’s bloodstream, such as through birth, sex, or needle sharing. There may be no symptoms immediately after infection, but if not treated, it damages the immune system and can eventually lead to more serious diseases such as tuberculosis, pneumonia or cancer. This is known as AIDS.
There is currently no cure for HIV, but there are antiretroviral treatments, in the form of pills taken daily, that can reduce the virus in the blood to undetectable levels. This means that the infection can no longer progress and the person can live a long and healthy life.
Ms Cole, who runs the Phoenix Health Movement, asked her GP for an HIV test before flying to the US.
“Not that I thought I was at any particular risk, but I heard there were tests. But the doctor said, ‘Oh no dear, HIV doesn’t affect women like you.’ I think often people, including health care professionals, have this idea that HIV is not something that affects them,” she said.
The government aims to eliminate HIV transmission by 2030 by increasing testing, improving awareness about prevention, and addressing the stigma faced by many people living with the virus.
The latest HIV surveillance data for 2024 shows new diagnoses are falling by 4 per cent across the UK, from 3,169 in 2023 to 3,043 in 2024.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a daily antiretroviral drug taken by HIV-negative people to prevent its transmission during unprotected sex, became routinely available on the NHS in England in 2020.
But about 24 percent of people who are more likely to have HIV need better access to PrEP. This includes heterosexual women, who are less likely to be identified as those in need of HIV prevention than gay and bisexual men.
injection, Apertude (called cabotegravir)It is also set to be made available on the NHS in England and Wales – providing an alternative to daily pills.
Ms Cole, who now lives in London, said: “There is a lot of stigma around HIV and people don’t want to be seen taking pills. So getting the injection can be expensive, but ultimately it is saving the NHS money because fewer people are getting HIV.”
For example, often a lot of women don’t feel comfortable going to sexual health clinics, but if we had this widely available from pharmacists and GPs, it would make it even better.
Global specialist HIV company VIIV Healthcare has warned that the government’s target of eliminating new HIV transmissions by 2030 will not be met without tailored interventions that reach women and other disadvantaged groups.
The company launched its “Risk to Reason” initiative to empower both women and health care professionals to have open and honest conversations about HIV prevention options without fear.
“This is systemic racism in health care settings. Black women are more likely to be affected.” die during childbirthAnd often when we go to doctors, we are not believed about our pain. We need to tackle these issues because if women don’t feel they are being listened to, they won’t feel comfortable talking about HIV,” Ms Cole said.
Ms Cole warned that there are many stereotypes and myths surrounding women and HIV. There is a myth that women living with HIV will pass HIV on to their children, but Ms Cole explains that this is not true, and she has had four children – two before her diagnosis and two after – who were born free of HIV. The chance of spreading the virus among people who are undergoing treatment with an undetectable load is 0.1 percent.
He said people with effective treatment cannot transmit HIV to sexual partners and can live as long as anyone else. Nearly 25 years later, Ms. Cole is thriving.
She said, “I think we need to look at the language around HIV because there can be a focus on talking about risks that can increase stigma. We need to change the language to have more empowering sex positive conversations.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “HIV treatment has been transformed. Today, people living with HIV can enjoy full, healthy lives – and not transmit the virus to others, which is remarkable progress.
“Ending new HIV transmissions by 2030 is ambitious – but this Government is committed to making it happen through our new HIV Action Plan.
“The plan is supported by £170 million and sets out how we will address stigma, improve access to testing and prevention, and ensure services reach all communities who need them. It will also fund formula milk and sterilizing equipment to reduce mother-to-child transmission.”