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Russell T Davies, the creator of the acclaimed series *It’s a Sin*, has issued a strong reminder that the fight against HIV is far from over. Despite advances in treatment and awareness, he expressed deep concern over the resurgence of misinformation surrounding the virus, which he described as despairing. Emphasizing the importance of learning from history, Davies cautioned against moving forward without acknowledging the battles fought in the past to confront HIV and AIDS.
Davies’s concerns come amid troubling reports from UNAIDS, the UN’s joint program focused on AIDS prevention. The organization recently highlighted that progress in combating HIV has faced its most substantial setbacks in decades due to reductions in global funding. UNAIDS warned that failure to meet the 2030 global targets could lead to as many as 3.3 million new infections over the next five years, underscoring the urgency of renewed efforts and investment.
The World Health Organization continues to classify HIV as a major global health issue, with the virus having taken an estimated 44.1 million lives to date. While HIV remains incurable, the development of antiviral medications in the 1990s has transformed it from a fatal diagnosis into a manageable chronic condition. Reflecting on the early years of the epidemic, Davies recalled being 18 in 1981 and witnessing the fear and devastation caused by AIDS as it dominated headlines and public consciousness. He acknowledged the courage of those who fought tirelessly but stressed his worries about lingering stigma and denial surrounding the virus.
*It’s a Sin* poignantly portrays the experiences of a group of friends living through the AIDS epidemic in 1980s London. For Davies, a prominent figure in LGBTQIA+ storytelling, the series was a meaningful opportunity to address a subject long cloaked in shame. “There is not a single day when someone doesn’t stop me and say how much that show meant to them,” he said, highlighting the impact the drama has had in opening up conversations about HIV.
Mark Lewis, a senior policy advisor at the All Party Parliamentary Group on HIV/Aids in Westminster, shared his personal journey after being diagnosed with HIV in 2018. Originally from Carmarthenshire, Lewis described initially hiding his status even from family, believing incorrectly that HIV was no longer a serious threat due to outdated perceptions and reduced media coverage. His experiences with prejudice persisted, including an incident where a dentist questioned the safety of treating him, and encounters with people unaware of HIV realities despite being part of communities affected by it. Lewis emphasized the widespread lack of knowledge among younger generations and remarked, “We’ve still got a long way to go.”
Dr Olwen Williams, who has worked in sexual health and HIV since the late 1980s, recounted the early days of HIV awareness in the UK. As a newly qualified doctor, she struggled to find any information about the condition, which had only just begun to emerge. Later, while working on an HIV ward during the epidemic’s height, she witnessed firsthand the devastation among patients largely in their 20s and 30s. Now, decades later, Dr Williams reflects on the remarkable shift in medical care, stating, “It’s so phenomenal to be able to say in my lifetime, I have seen something going from being incurable, a life sentence, to actually something that is a chronic disease.”
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