Around 200,000 people live with the AIDS virus in France, but some are unaware of it due to lack of screening. Yet this is the central issue in the fight against HIV, insists Frankie Lamme, activist for the AIDES association in Rouen. Before the world AIDS day this Sunday, December 1st, he wants believe in the eradication of the disease.
France Bleu Normandie: In Normandy, it is estimated that 146 people will discover their HIV status in 2023. Why can’t we eradicate this virus in France?
Frankie Lamb: The problem is actually screening. The major challenge is really to get tested to find out your HIV status, since once you have discovered your HIV status, you will be able to have access to treatment today. And this treatment will make it possible to no longer contaminate others because it will control this virus. In simple terms, to achieve an undetectable viral load, this is what we call the term used and which means undetectable, untransmittable.
Is it possible to eradicate the virus from around the world by 2030? This is the objective of the UN, the United Nations.
Yes, if 95% of HIV-positive people knew their status and among them, 95% had access to treatment and among these 95% they reached an undetectable viral load, we could achieve this objective in 2030. But during the Covid period , which unfortunately, took all the attention of people, we saw a drop in screening. Now this is the major issue, at least in France, since we are very good on the last two figures of this cascade, while but in screening, there is still a lot of work to do.
According to Santé Publique France, there are an estimated 25,000 people in France who are unaware of their HIV status. Three years ago, we produced a report in front of the Corneille high school in Rouen. When we asked them if they used condoms during sex, many told us no. Is HIV no longer scary?
In fact, it’s less scary. But at the same time, it is true that today a person living with HIV has a completely normal life, so we could understand that it is no longer scary and that we no longer talk about it since We live completely normally with HIV today. Now, let’s talk about condoms. There are also plenty of other ways to protect yourself today. We even have preventive treatment for the most exposed people. This undetectable viral load which makes it possible to no longer transmit the virus is really the best tool to put an end to the epidemic. So once again, it’s the screening that’s important.
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