HIV test
A small contemporary masterwork that, in few minutes, transforms doubt into knowledge and prevention into freedom.
“A world where talking about sexuality and everything that is part of it, both positive and negative, does not scare. Diseases are not a shame, nor is the period. Less taboos for a healthier life” what written by a participant of the exhibition.
The HIV test allows to identify the presence of human immunodeficiency virus in blood or other biological samples. First developed in 1985, it is still today erroneously called “the AIDS test”. It is fundamental to distinguish between HIV, the virus, and AIDS, which is the advanced clinical stage of the infection. The latter is not an inevitable consequence, but only a possible evolution of HIV, an increasingly rare one today, when early diagnosis and efficient therapy are available.
The tests available today have evolved and diversified. There are different methods of sampling (venous blood, from the fingertip, or rapid saliva tests) with high levels of accuracy. An important aspect is the so-called “window period”, that is the time between the potential exposure to the virus and its detectability, which depends upon the kind of test. An early diagnosis means to start immediately a highly effective antiretroviral therapy, which allows people living with HIV to have the same life expectancy and quality as of the general population. Furthermore, a person receiving an effective therapy with an undetectable viral load cannot transmit the virus (known as “U=U”, Undetectable = Untransmittable).
Despite the huge scientific and therapeutic progress, HIV still causes discrimination and stigmatisation today. They are linked to scarce information, misconceptions, and irrational fears on the transmission modalities, and they also intertwin with stereotypes regarding especially sex workers and the LGBTQIA+ community, wrongly associated with the virus. People living with HIV can experience social exclusion, relations hardships, and discrimination at work or in accessing health services. Combating those phenomena is fundamental, and to do it correct information, comprehensive sexual education and testing promotion are needed. They are all essential instruments for prevention, and for protecting the rights and dignity of every person.