What we’ve learned about HIV and AIDS 30 years later
When the HIV epidemic exploded in the 1980s, scientists had no idea what was making patients so sick. So what have scientists discovered since then? Let us explain.
FAQ only, USA TODAY
At first, Cody Farris didn’t think much of the rash on his legs.
The same thing happened to the swollen lymph nodes a year ago. Eventually both disappeared and it seemed like a small problem. He thought maybe he had contact dermatitis. Or a vitamin deficiency. Either way, he was fine, right?
Over the next four years, Faris suffered from intermittent mild rashes. After that, his health deteriorated rapidly. His tongue turned white from candidiasis. His hair started falling out. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t gain weight. At first, he thought these might just be age-related aches and pains. Or the price of a demanding warehouse job. Eventually he went to the doctor and learned the truth.
Faris was infected with HIV. Not only that, but because the infection was left untreated for a long time, it had progressed to AIDS. He felt like he was dying.
He believes that if Faris’ condition hadn’t been treated for another year, he wouldn’t be here. But thanks to medicine, he is back on his feet and is using his new life to raise awareness about HIV, encouraging others to get tested and share their status with potential sexual partners. That’s the information he wanted me to provide.
“It felt like I was in the Twilight Zone,” Faris, now 33, says of her HIV diagnosis. “I remember immediately starting to grab my face. I couldn’t believe this was my reality.”
He had never had a sexually transmitted disease. Then the diagnosis of AIDS was made.
Faris had never had a sexually transmitted disease before contracting HIV. He says he’s not cut out for casual sex, but is drawn to monogamy and follows safe sex practices.
Faris believes she contracted HIV from a former boyfriend, who she claims concealed the truth about her HIV status during their relationship. To make matters worse, Faris believes this boyfriend continued to hide the truth even as he watched Faris become seriously ill.
“Every time I had a problem, he would talk me out of it and say, ‘Oh, it’s okay. It’s okay. Here, I’ll make you some tea. I’ll make you dinner,'” Faris said.
He vividly remembers what it was like to live with AIDS. The disease killed thousands of Americans in the ’80s and early ’90s, many of them gay men.
For Faris, the disease almost took everything away. He quit his job because he could no longer endure the grueling overtime due to his illness.
“I was very thin. I wasn’t gaining any weight. I was working 12-hour shifts, driving a forklift and paying all the bills, so I had to work to keep everything going,” Faris says. “It felt like I had a million needles in me, my bones felt like they were glued together, I was moving so slowly, and it was the most hopeless, dark, scary feeling I’ve ever had. I thought it was just working and getting older, but no, the virus was actually attacking my immune system.”
His AIDS went undiagnosed for too long. now he is speaking out
In some states, it is a crime to not disclose that you are HIV-positive before having sex.
One of the reasons Faris has been so vocal online is to counter the shame and denial that causes many people to hide their HIV status from others. The other thing, he says, is to give hope. Although HIV is contagious for life, it is possible to reach an “undetectable” viral load with medication. This means that you cannot transmit the virus to others through sexual activity. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medication also significantly reduces the risk of contracting HIV in the first place.
Many people rallied behind Faris on social media. Phillip Lewis, a relationship therapist who specializes in gay men’s mental health, says finding a community can be one of the most beneficial things you can do when faced with a diagnosis of HIV or a chronic illness.
“If possible, talk to at least one supportive person,” says Lewis. “Someone who’s willing to sit down and listen to you and let you tell them whatever you’re going through. There’s a certain sadness to this, right? Your life is changing in some way.”
Now healthy and without detectable HIV, Faris is working to rebuild her life one step at a time.
“What gives me hope is helping others and feeling like I have a purpose or can make an impact in some way,” he says. “I think things will get better. But it’s up to me to make things better.”
