2023-08-17 08:58:17
“U = U”, in French “I = I” (Indétectable = Intransmissible) is a scientific consensus and even since last July, a recommendation from the World Health Organization (WHO) intended for healthcare professionals. health care for people living with HIV. But what is the concrete impact of U = U in the life and sexuality of the people concerned? The American magazine Poz devotes a dossier on this subject. “I was diagnosed with HIV only because I was pregnant. It’s the only time they test straight women, apparently,” Brooke Davidoff tells Poz. The 43-year-old American poet, blogger and activist was living in Seattle when she learned of her HIV status in February 2010. She was two months pregnant and had never been tested for HIV before. Like many people living with HIV, even today, Brooke Davidoff first felt her diagnosis was a death sentence. “My CD4 count was 136 [CD4/mm3], so my first doctor said, “No, you don’t have HIV, you have AIDS!” “. The activist returned home and searched online, where she discovered a community of people living with HIV, many of whom were long-time survivors. “Sharing with people who have been through this for years has been inspiring and learning for me,” she says. Her husband, tested negative for HIV, does not support her in this ordeal: “My husband was afraid of me once he learned that he did not have HIV”. The couple separated in 2017. One day, her gynecologist told her regarding U = U and for Brooke Davidoff, a huge weight disappeared: “How can we forget that? It’s such an easy slogan to remember, and it says everything you need to know to stay compliant with your treatment”. Since November 2021, the activist has been in a relationship with her current spouse: “I believe that U = U is partly the reason why I was able to find love once more. Open medical discussions are an integral part of our relationship. He asked regarding HIV and U=U before we started dating. I think it helped him to not be afraid to get in a relationship with me”. Brooke Davidoff is determined to raise awareness regarding HIV and U=U: “Heterosexual people who don’t know that HIV affects heterosexuals too are still in the dark. Silence = death, right? “. The activist is on a mission to ensure that in addition to key populations like gay and bisexual men and trans people, heterosexual cisgender women are included in HIV campaigns, so that the message is that anyone can be at risk. “If someone sees a public service announcement regarding HIV and they don’t see themselves portrayed, chances are they won’t pay as much attention to it, right? [Les annonceurs] thus miss all those opportunities where more people might say to themselves: Oh my God, this concerns me too! »
1692263963
#par #Brooke #Davidoff
