HIV and COVID-19 have a lot in common | Opinion

In 1981, teased hair, chunky belts and futuristic fashion were big. But beneath the surface of a society clad in shoulder pads and hairspray was something nobody could have imagined: an epidemic that would change the world in a big way. While HIV is believed to have emerged in the 1920s and cases were identified in sporadic patterns throughout the 1970s, the first fully recognized HIV cases were identified among five otherwise healthy individuals in Los Angeles in 1981.

Fast-forward to today, and a pandemic is surging across the nation that we were once again not prepared for — COVID-19.

This year’s World AIDS Day theme is “A National Conversation,” spotlighting the interconnectedness of both the HIV epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic – the lives lost, the survivors, the activism, the heroes.

Similar to HIV, COVID-19 can happen to anyone and evoke a different response in each person. Additionally, symptoms aren’t always a direct indicator of infection. Early symptoms of HIV may cause flu-like side effects such as fever, chills, night sweats, muscle aches, fatigue and more within two to four weeks of infection. However, HIV might not present any symptoms at all. The only way to know if you have it? Get tested.

The novel coronavirus functions in the same way, inducing symptoms before or after two weeks of exposure to the virus. Fever, chills, coughing, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, muscle aches, a sore throat and congestion only begin to scratch the surface of the symptoms associated with COVID-19 that we know of. Or, a person may be infected and exhibit no symptoms at all. Testing is the only way to attempt to know if you’re positive for COVID-19, and hopefully those tests will continue to improve over time much the same way HIV tests have.

Much remains to be discovered about COVID-19, a completely new virus that medical professionals, scientists and communities are scrambling to quell on a global scale. In the same sense as the HIV epidemic, the coronavirus pandemic has been polarizing politically and incorrectly associated with certain communities.

We can take hope in how far the HIV epidemic has come. In fact, in August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America, that aims to use four science-based strategies — diagnose, treat, prevent and respond — to end the epidemic in the U.S. by 2030. Sound familiar? It should. Diagnosing, treating, preventing and responding are likely the keys to solving the COVID-19 pandemic, too.

With time and science on our side, we will overcome both hurdles and move forward – most likely as a more health-conscious society. And while there might not be a cure yet for HIV or COVID, examining the similarities between the two may aid in scientific developments in a big way.

Patricia Fonzi is President and CEO of Family Health Council of Central Pennsylvania. Learn more at fhccp.org.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.