THERE is no evidence that suggests HIV can be cured or treated in any way or form.
This was the comment made by UNAIDS Pacific and Fiji country director Renata Ram to the The Lens@177 when she was asked whether HIV could be treated using herbal medicine.
“The only way to control HIV, and evidence based, is through antiretroviral medication,” she said.
Ms Ram also urged communities to break the stigma surrounding HIV and said those living with the virus were the best people to talk about their own lived experiences.
“More recently, we have a young 23-year-old who came out on World AIDS Day and who has been getting a lot of positive feedback from peers his age and encouraging young people to go and get tested,” she said.
“His experience and other people with HIV experience actually encourages a person to go and get tested, and if they get a positive test, that’s not the end of your life.
“The important thing to really stress out is that we do have life-saving medication here in the country, in Fiji, and you can live a long, healthy life as long as you take your medicine.”
She said if one faithfully adhered to their medication, the viral load would eventually suppress and become undetectable.
“When you become undetectable, it means you are not able to spread the infection to anyone else. So it’s a form of prevention as well.”
Ms Ram said people could live normal lives, even while living with HIV.
“It shouldn’t be your identifying factor, right? You can live a normal life as long as you take your medication. It’s like being diabetic. It’s like having high blood pressure,” she assured.
“Take your medication, you control yourself, you control your health, and you can actually protect others as well.”
