Help tackle stigma and support those with HIV on World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day on 1st December is a chance to remember those we’ve lost, stand up to HIV stigma and celebrate how far we’ve come.
HIV is an illness like any other, and nobody is to blame for contracting HIV. People living with HIV can lead long and healthy lives. If they are on effective treatment, they cannot pass on the virus to their sexual partners.
Advances in HIV treatment mean someone living with HIV on effective treatment can suppress the virus to undetectable levels and maintain their health.
Undetectable – or undetectable viral load – is when the amount of HIV in a person’s body (their viral load) is no longer able to be detected by a standard viral load test. A person living with HIV (PLHIV) who is diagnosed, on anti-retroviral treatment (ART) and who achieves and maintains an undetectable viral load (UVL) for at least 6 months has no risk of sexually transmitting the virus to an HIV-negative partner.
Approximately 3500 people in New Zealand are living with HIV. The best way to combat stigma is to become an informed ally and promote that people getting treated for HIV cannot pass on the virus. It’s that simple.
- Discover the stories of real Kiwis living with HIV.
- Find out about the basics of HIV and AIDS including risk factors, prevention and testing.
How you can support World AIDS Day
There are several ways you can support World AIDS Day:
- Become a volunteer for the Burnett Foundation Aotearoa.
- Donate online to the work of the Burnett Foundation Aotearoa.
Every dollar you donate will support Kiwis living with and affected by HIV through counselling, testing, support groups and education at Burnett Foundation Aotearoa.
Source: Burnett Foundation Aotearoa.
Published on Saturday, November 2nd, 2024, under Events