Our New Understanding of HIV Offers High Hopes

Act Up activist Robbie Lawlor (pictured above) is living proof that HIV is no longer a death sentence. He's in a long-term relationship, won Mr Gay Ireland in 2014 and is travelling the world advocating for those with the condition. Last week, he attended the International Aids Conference in Amsterdam, where ground-breaking developments in HIV medication were revealed.

Researchers confirmed that the chances of a HIV-positive person with an undetectable viral load infecting a sexual partner are scientifically equivalent to zero. Suppressing the virus can be accomplished through taking medication. The findings reinforce Prevention Access's U = U (undetectable = untransmittable) campaign, which aims to encourage anti-HIV drug use. It is a stance which Act Up actively endorses. "We're fighting to promote this message because it's so transformative," Lawlor says. "For so long, we saw ourselves as risks, possibly passing on HIV to loved ones, which no one wants to do."

Robbie was 21 when he was diagnosed in 2012. At first, he was constantly sick, due to a low immune system and the side-effects of medication. "I never felt more alone," he remembers. "Even though thousands live with HIV in Ireland, there wasn't a single person I could talk to. The loneliness was difficult." However, with the support of his family and adjustments to his medication, Lawlor's life returned to normalcy. Now he needs only one pill daily, and goes for check-ups twice a year. The transformation is extraordinary.

"That's why I decided to be vocal about my HIV status," he states. "People need to know life can go back to normal. Yes, we face stigma, but you can overcome it and feel confident. You don't have to hide."

A study from HIV Ireland last year revealed that 17 per cent of those surveyed with the virus had felt suicidal in the past 12 months. Facts like this are why Lawlor is calling for the Department of Health to promote U=U and to actively combat misinformation, as they roll out the PrEP programme in 2019. "HIV Ireland's 2017 stigma report revealed that nearly one-quarter of people think you can get HIV from kissing. We need to communicate to people living with and without HIV the U=U message," says Lawlor. "Community activists can only do so much," he concludes. "We don't deal with the financing of this country. There needs to be political will."