“You, Me and HIV” campaign will positively impact students' understanding of HIV and AIDS

By Paula Dennan, Deputy News Editor

The Health Service Executive’s (HSE) new “You, Me and HIV” campaign will positively impact students' understanding of HIV and AIDS, according to University College Cork’s Bród Society. Speaking about the campaign, Tia Weldon, Bród Society’s Social Media Officer, said, ‘HIV/AIDS can seem like such alien and frightening concepts with so much stigma attached to them. By focusing on the lived experiences of people with the disease, the campaign might help people conceptualise HIV/AIDS as a neutral fact about someone, comparable to that of left-handedness or someone's hair colour, which is really needed.’

“You, Me and HIV” is a collaboration between the HSE and people living with HIV and their loved ones, which aims to address the misconceptions people have about HIV and reduce the stigma people living with HIV experience. HIV activists and creators of the Poz Vibes podcast, Enda McGrattan (also known as drag star Veda Lady) and Robbie Lawlor are among the people involved in the campaign.

For McGrattan, the campaign is necessary because ‘We need to bring healing to the community, honour our past by ending HIV stigma and also ending HIV. Our main message is the scientific fact that once on effective treatment we can’t pass HIV on. We still need to get that message out, loud and clear to the general public but I think things are finally changing in Ireland, and I feel honoured to be a part of that movement.’

Lawlor said, ‘We have partnered with the HSE to let everyone know there is nothing shameful about living with HIV. Like anyone else, with effective treatment, we can live long, happy lives and there is zero chance that we can pass on HIV to our sexual partners.’

Advances in HIV treatment

The “You, Me and HIV” campaign emphasises that HIV cannot be passed on from kissing, hugging, shaking hands, sharing cutlery, or toilet seats. The campaign also highlights the differences between HIV and AIDs and the advances made in treating HIV:

• Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) attacks a person’s immune system, weakening their ability to fight infection and disease. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) describes the group of illnesses a person with HIV can get in the late stage of infection. However, advances in HIV treatment mean most people living with HIV in Ireland will not develop AIDS-related illnesses. 

• People on effective treatment cannot pass HIV on to their sexual partners because their viral load is so low that it is no longer detected in their blood. This is often called undetectable equals untransmittable (U=U).

• People living with HIV on effective treatment can have healthy pregnancies. Effective treatment in pregnancy and an undetectable viral load prevent HIV from being passed on to babies. 

• People who are HIV-negative but may be at risk of HIV can access pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) through the HSE for free if they are likely to benefit from the intervention and it is not contraindicated. 

• People who are HIV-negative yet have recently been exposed to HIV can access post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), a 28-day course of medication that aims to prevent HIV infection. PEP must be started within 72 hours of exposure. 

Living with HIV

As part of the campaign, Ainara Pedroso and her husband, Peter Thijs, who work and live in Cork, share their story of falling in love just a few months after Pedroso learned of her diagnosis and started treatment.

‘There are many people out there from all backgrounds and genders with HIV living a normal life. You can have an absolutely normal life, you can go on to find love, the right partner who loves and understands. You can go on to have children without the fear of the virus passing on to them,’ Pedros said. 

Thijs commented, ‘Growing up in Belgium and the Netherlands, there was a lot of education and awareness around HIV. I knew there was no danger of transmission of the virus once you were on effective treatment. Ainara invited me to one of her medical appointments, although I was already informed, I said it was no harm to go and ask any questions. It really takes less than a minute of talking with someone who knows about HIV, or to find the evidence-based information, to clear up any doubts or concerns you might have living as partners.’

Acknowledging the important role played by each person taking part in the campaign and discussing the campaign’s aims, Professor Fiona Lyons, National Clinical Lead, HSE Sexual Health Programme, said, “Through sharing their real-life experiences, advice and reassurance it helps us address misconceptions and helps ensure the wider public has the most up to date facts and information about HIV. Additionally, we hope the campaign will alleviate fears about getting tested for HIV or seeking treatment. Please do not delay, we are here to help you. You deserve to live a healthy and happy life like everyone else.”

Know your HIV status

Figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) show a decrease in the rate of first-time HIV diagnoses in Ireland in 2023. However, nearly two in five people (39%) were diagnosed late. Knowing your HIV status and receiving timely and effective treatment can lead to similar health and life expectancy for people living with HIV as those living without HIV, according to the HPSC. 

Across campus, work is ongoing to ensure students have access to STI testing and accurate information about sexual health. Last semester, UCC’s Bród Society collaborated with the Feminist Society, the Medical Society, UCC’s Safe and Sound Project, and the Sexual Health Centre to run rapid HIV testing clinics. 

Tia Weldon, Bród Society’s Social Media Officer, stated that the clinics and the sexual health information leaflets that were available had a positive impact on students, ‘People did reach out to access this information either before or after being tested and it shows that students do want to be educated and informed on the matter. This information is also reliable and students feel they can trust that they aren't being fed sensationalist and incorrect ideas. It is something Bród Society is proud to be involved with due to the historic anti-queer stories that have been spun around HIV/AIDS.’

Learn more about HIV and the “You, Me and HIV” campaign at HSE.ie/HIV. Learn more about PreP and PEP at sexualwellbeing.ie. Free at-home STI testing kits can be ordered at sh24.ie. Learn more about the Sexual Health Centre’s services at sexualhealthcentre.com/services. Learn more about UCC Student Health Centre’s STI screening services at ucc.ie/en/studenthealth/services/sex.