HIV has gone from being a clinical problem to a social problem

The president of the AIDS Research Group has warned against stigmatizing the disease

SOCIAL HEALTH PROTAGONISTS

Caring first, working together to improve community health

María Velasco, president of the AIDS Study Group (GeSIDA) of the Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology (Seimc), noted that the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has gone from a clinical challenge to a societal challenge, while currently "extraordinary milestones" continue with long-term treatment. to persist

"We are in a time (...) in which HIV infection is not so much a clinical challenge as a social one, and in this social challenge we must appreciate the fact that extraordinary milestones are super-effective, long-term treatment, combined prevention, survival... But we must eliminate fear, stigma, prejudice," Velasco said in an event held at a congressional event.of Congress.

In the afternoon, the exhibition "Goodness, Kisses and Anti-Stigma" was presented, encouraging people to reflect on the impact of social stigma on people living with HIV. GeSIDA calls for the need to promote a vision based on proximity and recognition of rights.

The Secretary of State for Health, Javier Padilla, highlighted the progress made in the last 30 years in the fight against HIV, and that the end of the pandemic caused by this disease will not come in "one day they ordered", but it will happen more, because it is no longer considered a global public health concern.

“Cuando dejemos de tener en países como el nuestro episodios en los cuales el estigma y la discriminación siga siendo una realidad (...) estaremos acabando con el VIH, y cuando consigamos que las innovaciones terapéuticas no solamente sean innovaciones terapéuticas para el norte global, sino que también sean una realidad de acceso en el sur global, también estaremos acabando con el VIH”, agregó.

The event was also attended by the first president of GeSIDA and the head of the Department of Epidemiology of the Ramón y Cajal University Hospital in Santiago Moreno, who emphasized that the "most important" in the fight against HIV is the introduction of reduced antiretroviral treatment, which "changes the prognosis" of patients' lives, changing "temporary illness to a fatal disease".

"To me, this is just as important, and this is also another turning point, this is when we realized that the suppressed, undetectable viral load associated with HIV has been spreading (...

José Emilio Martín Herrero, medical director of ViiV HealthCare Spain, said that the "most determining" factor in the progress made is social activism, which "is also the engine that has enabled the mobilization of resources and will, as well as the transformation of clinical research, regulatory changes and the acceleration of the discovery and development of new antivirals."

Jorge Garrido, director of Apoyo Positivo, spoke similarly, emphasizing that clinical progress goes hand in hand with progress in patients' rights and dignity.

"For many years, living with HIV meant a life of silence, a life without social rights, as well as labor rights.

Rosario Palacios, Head of Infectious Diseases at the Virgen de la Victoria Hospital in Malaga, noted that one of the main challenges in Spain is related to implementing equal access to treatment in all communities, as well as ensuring access to the most vulnerable, such as migrants, women and the elderly.

These challenges also include informing society and health professionals, to avoid false information and signs about HIV not only in social situations, but also in different areas of health.

Reyes Velayos, member of Cesida and president of Apoyo Positivo, said that the second challenge is related to the comprehensive care of chronic diseases and the quality of life of patients, which requires not only to achieve an undetectable viral load, but also to prioritize the identification and preventive management of mental illness.

For Gilead's chief medical officer and head of HIV treatment, Cristina de Álvaro, improving diagnosis is a top priority, as more than half of new patients are diagnosed late.

Similarly, the system must ensure patient access and retention, and continue to work on strategies and models that focus not only on HIV prevention, but on human well-being.

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