Today, being diagnosed as HIV positive should no longer be seen as a sentence, but should be faced with awareness and confidence. In fact, those who follow the therapy according to the plan prescribed by the doctor with consistency and regularity can have a life expectancy comparable to those who do not have the infection. Yet, the moment of diagnosis can be a trauma for those who receive it: a moment in which anguish, fears and questions crowd together that must find the right answer. Only in this way will it be possible to face the therapeutic path correctly, arriving at having an undetectable viral load, which allows you to no longer be contagious and to obtain a good quality of life. How to face an HIV diagnosis is the topic of the second episode of the podcast ‘A voce alta – Dialoghi sull’HIV’, created by OnePodcast in collaboration with Gilead Sciences, available from today at the link https://open.spotify.com/show/3WO4OGtxxupBJBiR7Oy1sz.
On the platform – a note recalls – the first episode is already available, released in June and dedicated to the themes of therapeutic adherence and the development of drug resistance and the concept of U=U. The two podcasts are part of ‘Hiv. Let’s talk about it again!’, an initiative within ‘Hiv. Let’s talk about it?’, the awareness campaign promoted by Gilead Sciences with the patronage of 16 patient associations, the Italian Society of Infectious and Tropical Diseases (Simit) and the Italian Conference on Aids and Antiviral Research (Icar).
In Italy, in 2022, 1,888 new diagnoses of HIV infection were made. About 60% of the newly diagnosed had a compromised immune system and, among these, more than 40% with a full-blown AIDS diagnosis. “These numbers tell us that most people arrive at the HIV diagnosis in an advanced stage, when they already have symptoms, rather than out of a habit of monitoring their health status – says Alessandro Lazzaro, Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases Sapienza University of Rome – Unfortunately, there is not adequate information on the HIV test, which can be performed through a blood sample or through the rapid test – salivary or capillary, with a drop of blood – which will be followed by a more specific analysis in case of a positive result”.
Rapid tests can also be done at ‘check points’, centres run by people with HIV, where users find a non-judgmental, familiar environment that offers an excellent service. “At the moment of diagnosis, people think that their life will change forever and will no longer be recoverable. This is not the case – explains Daniele Calzavara, Milano Checkpoint Ets – Today it is possible to live a free life, like that of all other people. However, it is important that people are informed correctly from the very beginning. At check points you can have a comparison between peers, which allows you to normalize living with HIV right away”.
Once the diagnosis is obtained, people are taken into care by a specialized center and there they begin their journey, which has the goal of starting therapy as soon as possible to achieve the reduction of the viral load and the state of U=U, or Undetectable=Untransmittable. This means that, if the virus is not detectable in the blood, then it cannot be transmitted. “Reaching this state is very important for people with HIV because it allows them to regain possession of their lives and live it freely – emphasizes Maria Aurora Carleo, Complex Operating Unit Infectious Diseases and Gender Medicine of the Azienda Ospedaliera dei Colli di Napoli – However, it is necessary to understand the importance of taking the therapy regularly and consistently. For this reason, it becomes essential to talk to the doctor”.
Along with the podcast – the note continues – a new information booklet has also been created that will be made available to doctors to support their communication with patients. The booklet addresses the topic of the newly diagnosed patient, with useful information to best deal with this moment. On the campaign landing page – hivneparliamo.it – there are also stories dedicated to all the topics touched upon in these months of activity: mental well-being, therapeutic adherence, the development of drug resistance and various other aspects related to the daily life of living with HIV. All the tools made available by ‘Hiv. Let’s talk about it?’ aim to promote dialogue between doctors and people with HIV, for a better quality of life.
“In these almost 40 years of activity alongside people with HIV, we have worked to ensure that a diagnosis of positivity to the infection is no longer a sentence, and we have succeeded. Today, those living with HIV, thanks to therapies, can have a life expectancy comparable to those who do not have the infection and a good quality of life”, says Gemma Saccomanni, Senior Director Public Affairs Gilead Sciences.
“But we can and want to do even more – he adds – and we are committed every day to developing new, increasingly effective drugs and to promoting correct information and greater dialogue between doctors and patients, right from the moment of diagnosis. An objective that is also the basis of ‘HIV. Let’s talk about it?’, a campaign that offers concrete tools to clinicians and people living with this infection to build a relationship of trust”.
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