Dr. Max Pemburton: It’s a sin The stigma of HIV remains today

Have you ever seen Doctor Who writer Russell T. Davis’ new drama, Channel 4, “It’s Sin”?It graphs the life of a group of young people moving to London In the early 1980s, I realized I was in the midst of an HIV / AIDS crisis.

What I especially liked was how I portrayed a woman who was very involved, such as friends, mothers and sisters, and who provided love and care when a young man died.

It’s hard to see in part because you can’t escape revealing the tragedy of the time.

I found it interesting because I caught the end of that period during my doctor training in central London in the late 1990s and vividly remembered the people who died of AIDS.

Channel 4 It’s A Sin (pictured) is a new drama by Doctor Who writer Russell T. Davis.

I remember being in the ward when the consultant gave catastrophic news to a 20-year-old man (the age I was at the time). He was positive and his immune system was weakened, so the virus infected his eyes and blinded him.

I remember he broke and wasn’t comforted because he realized he could die.

I have seen people die of horrific cancers and infections.

A young man, just a few years older than me, became demented because of an obscure virus that attacks his brain. Another person died after the mold of bread invaded his lungs. It was a terrible time.

How has everything changed? Since then, there have been amazing pharmacological advances in the methods of treating and managing the HIV virus.

For the past 20 years, we have brought medicines that can support the immune system of infected people and prevent AIDS and subsequent death. Thankfully, deaths as a result of HIV / AIDS are now incredibly rare in this country.

Despite working with high-risk groups such as sex workers and drug addicts in central London, I haven’t seen anyone die from it for years.

Dr. Max (pictured) experienced his life as a doctor at a hospital in London at the end of the HIV / AIDS crisis in the late 1990s.

This change was so dramatic that the HIV / AIDS ward and specialist unit were actually closed simply because there were no more patients to fill.

This seems like an impossible dream for those who watched over in the 1980s and 1990s for fear of their loved ones disappearing and dying while doctors were helplessly waiting.

What’s really amazing is how quickly the drug responded to HIV and turned it from a terrifyingly horrifying virus to one that is now completely curable and far from being sentenced to death.

In fact, studies have shown that people diagnosed with HIV have the same life expectancy as those who are not infected with the virus. Many actually have better health results than the general public because they are seen regularly by doctors.

The drug also means that people infected with HIV can become “undetectable.” In other words, you will not be infected with HIV.

When I talked to some of the young doctors at work about this TV show, they couldn’t really believe that things were so bad in the 1980s and 1990s.

They didn’t know and were surprised that the entire generation of young gay men was treated so badly that it was wiped out by the virus.

But the problem is that people’s attitudes are not keeping up with medical advances. Fear and prejudice from that era still exists. It may not be so obvious anymore, but it definitely sticks to people’s attitude towards HIV-positive people.

People who are infected with HIV live for fear of being rejected by family and friends and shunned at work.

It remains a secret and shameful illness, which can cause enormous damage to the well-being of patients.

According to a 2018 report by the UK Public Health Services, mental health was the main difference in quality of life between people with and without HIV.

Many suffer terribly as a result of fear of reacting to their illness. The incidence of depression in people living with HIV is almost ten times higher than that of the general public, not a little because of the stigma attached to the condition.

Now, when someone is diagnosed, medical teams often focus on how to manage the social effects of the virus as much (if not more) as the physical aspects.

The biggest problem for newly diagnosed people, not the virus itself, is the fear of being expelled.

Even the homosexual community still has a lot of ignorance about HIV and a great deal of prejudice against positive people.

It’s not uncommon for people to talk about what it means to be “clean” and HIV negative. It’s as if being positive is somehow dirty, rotten, or contaminated.

Although medicine has been a tragedy that has happened and changed the lives of people with this infection, they still face numerous hurdles.

We are now at the stage where it is the attitude of society, not the virus itself, that scares HIV so much.

It’s time for people to move beyond the past, catch up with reality, and end their prejudice against HIV forever.

Never give up on making your mark

Looking back on the dark spring days when the pandemic had taken hold, Captain Tom Moore was an important symbol of rebellion. His attitude reminded us that a bright day would come, and calming and being kind was the light of hope we all needed.

Looking back at the dark spring era when the pandemic was well established, Sir Tom Moore (pictured) was an important symbol of rebellion.

But I also thought he offered an enlightening lesson on how much we all have to offer, regardless of our age. Older people tend to think that it won’t happen if they haven’t done something yet. I often see this in patients. They are afraid that their careers aren’t completely on track, they can’t find the love they wanted when they were young, or they aren’t making a difference in the world. They feel sad, disillusioned, and sometimes resentful.

Still, there are many people, like Sir Tom, whose lives are built at different paces and that they achieve most in the second half of their lives. Remember: It’s never too late to mark yours.

• Married to the once kidnapped Queen’s cousin, Lord Frederick Windsor, and the patron saint of charity school home support, Mrs. Sophie Winkleman describes the blockade as a “living hell” for many poor children. She added that they endured a “silent pandemic” of abuse and malnutrition. That’s exactly why I’m an avid supporter of Mail’s homeschooling campaign, Computers for Kids. The campaign aims to provide laptops and improve educational opportunities for the poorest children in the blockade. Good for Mrs. Sophie who spoke for them.

DR MAX PRESCRIBES: Second Chance Plant

I love being surrounded by greenery. If you’re the same, look at the glasshouse (theglasshouse.co.uk), which not only sells plants, but also does some good things.

Social enterprises offer prisoners a second chance by conducting horticultural training in obsolete greenhouses in British prisons.

By purchasing the plants they grow, you will support this wonderful initiative.