AIDS- the pandemic isn't confined to history books

We can spot similarities between the pandemic we are facing today and the 1980s AIDS crisis. In both cases, fear of the disease is the main force that drives people apart, impacts social life and even amplifies the voice of misinformation and in turn, damages efforts to control infection.

Having collated new oral histories of nurses who cared for people living with HIV/AIDS, the loved ones of people who died of AIDS-related illnesses and people who were diagnosed as HIV-positive between 1981 and 1996, Dr Tommy Dickinson from King’s Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care, describes the extent of knowledge around HIV and AIDS and how this impacted on patients.

Initially little was known about HIV/AIDS. Patients were cared for behind a barrier of PPE, much like Covid wards. During the 1980s, many patients were completely isolated in wards, as staff were scared and told not to have contact with them. Many of those who delivered front-line care during this time were affected by their experiences, the resonances of which lingers on for them today. However, compassion was shown by many healthcare workers and volunteers.

Both pandemics have also highlighted the health inequalities our society still faces. Specific communities have been hit harder by COVID-19 and this was also a huge problem during the HIV/ AIDS crisis.

Nevertheless, it is important to note the stark differences between the two pandemics. Throughout It’s A Sin, we see the lives of young gay men in London tested by HIV/AIDS. Unlike the COVID-19 pandemic, AIDS came with shame and sexual uncertainty. Public opinion - encouraged by the media - condemned those with the disease.

There was a sense of those deserving sympathy and care such as people living with haemophilia and those who didn’t - particularly homosexual men and intravenous drug users. There was a raw hatred towards these communities in the press at the time, Tommy explained. HIV/AIDS became, in one news headline, ‘a moral Chernobyl’. COVID-19 is more widely spread and easily caught. It affects everyone. This is a contrast to the original notion where AIDS was assumed to only affect minorities. It is difficult to imagine a headline accusing COVID-19 patients for somehow deserving their illness, caught by living a normal human life.

Dr Dickinson’s first book, Curing Queers, explores the former medical treatments that were used to ‘cure’ homosexuality. Gay men and women were offered Aversion Therapy from the 1930s to 1970s. This history with healthcare services has caused a great amount of fear and stigma, especially for the older LGBT+ community seeking medical advice - in particular mental health services. However, Dr Dickinson said he believes we are seeing much more inclusive care now.

It’s A Sin continues this important education to the public. We mustn’t forget the communities that lived through the AIDS crisis before the evidence base for anti-viral medication became explicit and HIV/AIDS shifted from a life-limiting illness to a long-term manageable health condition. It is crucial to recognise the battles and activism that communities went through at the time.

We can see parallels between the two pandemics. However, although COVID-19 is a more novel illness, it is often described as the biggest pandemic of the century. In fact, although COVID-19 has claimed a horrifying 2.29 million lives, AIDS comparatively has claimed a total of 32.7 million and we must remember AIDS is still very much a part of people’s lives today.

“Thankfully in the western world, HIV is no longer a death sentence and people with HIV can live life normally with medication.

“But, it is important to remember this is still an ongoing pandemic that continues to kill people around the world. “AIDS isn’t a pandemic confined to the pages of history books,” Dr Tommy Dickinson added.