Remember the RED ribbon? {World AIDS Day}

Kan du huske det RØDE bånd? Det er noget tid siden jeg selv sidst har set det røde

bånd. Det er som om det er blevet pink! Den 1. december er det World AIDS Day, og ligesom rigtig mange andre danskere tager jeg nu ordet, for at tale om en livsvigtig sag. Det handler om hiv og aids. Sygdommen fra 80’erne, som vi ikke taler om så meget længere. Måske fordi vi tænker, at der ikke er stor risiko for, at det rammer nogen, vi kender. Eller måske er det fordi, vi helst ikke vil mindes om, hvor hård en sygdom hiv i virkeligheden er.

 

Jeg har lavet to kort til denne dag, for at hjælpe med at skabe opmærksomhed omkring AIDS og få det røde bånd tilbage på dagsordnen. AIDS er her endnu.

 

 

I mange år var hiv det samme som en dødsdom. Der var ingen viden, ingen behandling. Kun liv, der sluttede alt for tidligt. I dag kan hiv-smittede få behandling, der giver et lige så langt liv som alle andres – i hvert fald i Danmark. Den livsforlængende medicin holder ikke alene sygdommen i skak. Den er også så effektiv, at man som velbehandlet hiv-smittet ikke længere skal være bange for at

smitte andre; hverken den man elsker eller det barn, man ønsker sig. Så langt er vi kommet i dag.

Men desværre har hiv en alvorlig følgesygdom. Følgesygdommen hedder HIVfobi – altså angsten for at blive smittet i situationer, der er helt ufarlige – og den rammer især venner, kolleger og den nære familie. Det kan være en berøring, et knus, et kys, en rift på fingeren eller en hård tackling på fodboldbanen, der sparker usikkerheden i gang. Og når vi bliver usikre, bliver vi bange. Og når vi bliver bange, tager vi afstand. Derfor lever alt for mange hiv-smittede en isoleret tilværelse; tør ikke stå frem og tør ikke tale åbent om deres sygdom. Ikke af frygt for at dø, men af frygt for omverdenens reaktion.

Der findes endnu ikke en vaccine mod hiv. Men der findes heldigvis én mod HIVfobi.

Vaccinen er viden. For kun ved at tale om hiv - om hvordan hiv smitter, og i særdeleshed om hvordan hiv ikke smitter, kan vi nedbryde tvivl og usikkerhed. Det skal siges larmende højt, at hiv ikke smitter ved social kontakt; heller ikke ved kys eller ved kærtegn. Der er ingen grund til at tage afstand.

Så lad os derfor bruge World AIDS Day til at bekæmpe den ubegrundede angst for hiv, fordi den gør mennesker fortræd. Lad os tale HIVfobien ihjel. Og lad os starte i dag.

 

Tak fordi du lyttede.

 

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Do you remember the RED ribbon? It's been a while since I've seen the red awareness ribbon. Seems like it's more pink these days! December 1 is World AIDS Day and like many other Danes today I will now speak about a vital matter. I am going to speak about HIV and AIDS. The disease from the 80s which we hardly ever talk about anymore. Perhaps because we think the risk of someone we know becoming infected is not very big. Or perhaps we would rather not be reminded of the true severity of HIV.

 

I created two cards for this event. To help spread awareness and put the RED ribbon back on the agenda. AIDS is still here.

 

 

For many years HIV was a death sentence. No knowledge, no cure. Only lives that ended far too soon. Today HIV-positive people can get access to treatment and live for as long as everyone else - at least in Denmark. The life-sustaining medicine not only keeps the disease at bay. Because of the effectiveness of today’s medicine, people with controlled HIV do not have to fear infecting others anymore, neither the one they love nor the child they wish to have one day. This is how far we have come today.

Unfortunately the disease has a severe sequela. The sequela is called HIV phobia – the fear of being infected in situations that are totally safe – and this sequela especially affects friends, colleagues and close family. It only takes a touch, a hug, a kiss, a scratch on the finger or a rough tackle on the football field to kick-start the feeling of insecurity. And when we feel insecure, we get afraid. And when we are afraid, we distance ourselves from the unknown. This is why far too many HIV-positive people are cut off from other people, afraid to stand forward or to talk openly about their disease. Not from fear of dying, but from fear of the outside world’s reaction.

There is still no vaccine against HIV. But luckily we have a vaccine against HIV phobia. The cure is knowledge. Because only by talking about HIV – about how HIV is transmitted and especially how HIV is not transmitted, we can eliminate doubt and insecurity. Let it be shouted from the rooftops that HIV is not transmitted through social contact. Kissing and hugging cannot transmit HIV. There is no reason to keep a distance.

So let us use World AIDS Day to fight the unfounded fear of HIV, because this fear only hurts people. Let’s kill off the HIV phobia. Let’s start today.

 

Thank you for listening.