So just what was this silent killer?
Welcome to the world of HIV-the virus that causes AIDS.
In previous decades, HIV and AIDS became an epidemic that swept the nation- prompting campaigns promoting abstinence, condoms, and the use of clean needles by drug users. AIDS even became the subject of a quilt bearing the names of those who had died (which still tours today).
Most who grew up in the generation of widely publicized HIV campaigns still fear this once- deadly virus. However, many people are unaware that the world of HIV has tremendously changed. This has brought about waves of confusion as to how stars like Magic Johnson and Charlie Sheen are living healthy lives.
Here’s what you need to know about where we currently stand with HIV.
In case you need a refresher, HIV is a virus that spreads through contact with bodily fluids (like blood and sexual secretions). Once in the body, it begins to attack cells known as T cells. As the virus progresses, the amount of T cells in a person’s body is lowered. This inhibits the body’s ability to fight basic infections, leaving the body unprotected against invaders.
Untreated, HIV progresses through three stages. The first is acute HIV infection. This stage presents two to four weeks after a person is infected with the virus. In this stage, flu-like symptoms may be seen. This occurs when the body is trying to fight off the infection. However, not everyone who contracts HIV has these symptoms. This is also a time when viral loads are high, making HIV very infectious to others.
The second stage is called asymptomatic or chronic HIV infection. In this phase, the virus is often dormant and multiplies at a lower rate of speed. At this point, a person may have no symptoms. However, though it’s harder to transmit the virus at this time, it can still be passed on to others.
As a person’s viral load increases, he or she moves into the third stage of HIV. This is the stage that we all know as AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). AIDS is the lethal part of the disease, in which the body is no longer able to fight off infections.
In this stage, symptoms like fever, sweating, chills, swollen lymph nodes, weakness, and weight loss can be seen. Medical professionals will declare this state when T cells fall below 200 cells/mm and if known illnesses associated with AIDS develop. Untreated, a patient will live for about three years once AIDS is diagnosed.
This brings us to an important and confusing question: is there now a cure for HIV?
The answer is no. There is no cure. However, something called antiretroviral therapy (ART) has changed the spectrum of HIV. ART was introduced in the mid 1990’s. Since then, it has been developed to the point that HIV can actually be controlled.
In fact, a person with HIV can live almost as long as someone with a negative HIV status. For example, studies show that a 20-year-old who is diagnosed with HIV can live into his or her 70’s through the use of ART. This is how celebrities that we hear about in the news are living long and healthy lives.
This brings us to another question: how are couples in which one partner has HIV publicizing the concept that a partner who is HIV negative has not developed the virus? (Some of these couples are even having children.)
Relationships like these are called “mixed-status” relationships. This means that one partner has the virus, but the other doesn’t. Terms for these relationships can include: serodiscordant, discordant, serodivergent, magnetic, and HIV-positive/negative
There are now ways to lower the risk of transmission to a negative partner. That’s because those with a high risk of HIV are now given a new medication called Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). This is a combination of two medications (tenofovir and emtricitabine) used in the treatment of HIV.
PrEP isn’t a one-time thing. It must be taken daily to work effectively. When a person follows the prescribed regimen, the risk of contracting HIV sexually is lowered by over 90 percent. However, the risk is only decreased by 70 percent in those who share needles.
That said, new cases of HIV still exist. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), about 1,217,400 people over the age of 13 are living with HIV. However, nearly thirteen percent of these people don’t know they’re infected. In addition, about 50,000 new HIV infections occur each year.
Celebrities who have opened up about being positive have tremendously helped with HIV awareness. One of the first of these was Magic Johnson. Magic Johnson originally created the Magic Johnson Foundation (MJF) to help fight the AIDS epidemic through grant making. These days, MJF works to educate urban communities about HIV.
Other celebrities have also shared their battles with HIV. For example, Danny Pintauro, who played Jonathon on the hit sitcom “Who’s the Boss,” recently shared his story of HIV with Oprah Winfrey. He is the first celebrity to claim to have contracted the virus through oral sex (yes, he used condoms). After sharing his story, he kicked off an HIV and drug awareness campaign called the Beacon of Light Tour with a goal of eradicating the stigma associated with HIV.
Another star who gained attention due to a positive HIV status is Olympic gold medalist Greg Louganis. Louganis’s positive status became known after a diving accident in which blood spilled into a pool. These days, Louganis lives a healthy life as a husband and activist.
Other stars with HIV include: Jim Bullock (Too Close for Comfort), Chuck Panozzo (Styx), and of course, Charlie Sheen. Sheen recently revealed his positive HIV status in a Today Show exclusive interview with Matt Lauer.
However, Sheen’s initial announcement doesn’t appear to revolve around awareness. Instead, it’s about ending rumors and a need to pay people off to keep the secret. In fact, the star revealed that he has paid out about ten million dollars in an effort to keep his positive diagnosis under wraps.
"I have to put a stop to this onslaught, this barrage of attacks and of sub-truths and very harmful and mercurial stories that are about me, threatening the health of so many others that couldn't be further from the truth," Sheen said in the interview.