On the occasion of World AIDS Day, Laurence Mortier, director of HIV Berodung, looks back on the situation in Luxembourg.
In 2022, Luxembourg had 1,237 people living with HIV. In 2023, 53 new infections were diagnosed and 68 people living with HIV were newly integrated into the National Infectious Diseases Service. On this Sunday, December 1, World AIDS Day, Laurence Mortier, director of HIV Berodung, talks about the importance of screening and how we can live today with the virus.
Why can’t we eradicate the virus in Luxembourg today?
It is estimated that there is a small percentage of people who do not know they are infected. These people do not receive treatment. However, an HIV-positive person who has taken their treatment correctly for several months reaches an undetectable viral load and becomes untransmittable. Also, there are positive people who have difficulty taking their treatment. But I think the biggest factor is that not everyone knows they’re positive.
However, we meet the objectives set by UNAIDS which are 95, 95, 95. That is, 95% of people living with HIV are screened, 95% of these people are put on treatment and 95% of people put on treatment reach this undetectable viral load. Currently, in Luxembourg, we are not there yet.
“Today, if you learn the result of your HIV status, it’s something positive”
Is HIV still scary like it used to be?
I’m from the 70s, I have memories of December 1st where I was shown images of sick people, dying people… it was shocking. It really struck me at the time. Today, I think that in fact, there is no longer that vision. We made a lot of positive messages, particularly on screening. I keep saying it, it’s the only way to know.
Today, if you learn the result of your HIV status, it is a positive thing because it will allow you to access treatment rather than risking getting sick and having difficulty recovering because you are in the AIDS stage. That’s the reality these days.
If in doubt about being HIV positive, what steps should you take?
The first step is the d test.screening which is a prevention tool in its own right. This is the only way to know, to know your status. In Luxembourg, there are several ways to get tested. There is the classic method by taking blood with a medical prescription, in any laboratory in the country.
Otherwise, there are screenings by anonymous and free blood test. To do this, you can go to infectious diseases unit 20 at the hospital center, the national laboratory in Dudelange or the Esch-sur-Alzette hospital center. All tests that are done by blood test, you must wait six weeks after the last risk situation. This means that if you had a risk situation a week ago and you say to yourself “I would like to know”, unfortunately the tests will not be able to reassure you about this situation. You will have to wait six weeks for a sure result.
Afterwards, you always have the possibility of doing rapid screening tests. These are either supervised by a psychologist and a nurse in our service within the IFA at Berodung – Red Cross. This happens every Monday and Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Either via our mobile van or our various screening centers which are visible on the website www.dimps.lu.
Finally, the last possibility of getting tested is the self-tests that can be purchased in pharmacies or supermarkets. It is also possible to order them from us by sending an email. Please note that unlike screening by blood test, self-tests and rapid tests, you have to wait twelve weeks to get a sure result.
“A positive mother can have relationships with a negative father-to-be”
Today, how do we live with HIV?
Today, when you are positive, there are very good treatments that will trap the virus and prevent it from multiplying. Thus, it fails to destroy the immune system.
Concretely, the virus is in the body, but it is really imprisoned. The immune system, which is the preferred target of HIV, continues to function completely normally. The person will not have a manifestation of AIDS because their immune system is destroyed. Today, being diagnosed with HIV means being put on treatment. Until a few years ago, we waited for the white blood cells to drop to a certain level before giving treatment.
This treatment works well and the sooner the infection is caught after contamination, the better the body will react and the more effective the treatment will be. Quickly, the person will become what we call undetectable. This means that the virus will no longer be transmissible to another person, the concentration of virus will be very low in the blood. It is also a hope for all couples, for example, serodiscordant, where one of the partners is positive and the other is not, in terms of relationships. A positive mother can have relations with a negative future father to give birth to a child who will also be negative.
