[BLOG-LIKE POSTING] HIV and Me

This morning, I delayed going to the Hassle Free Clinic to pick up my HIV test results; in fact, I only left Little Portugal at 1 o'clock. It was natural that I was fairly tense given the occasion for my venture downtown. This tenseness has persisted, even after the counsellor took me into his cramped office and told me that, no, the tests on my blood did not detect antibodies to either HIV-1 or the much rarer and less immediately lethal HIV-2. In one form or another, I think I'll be dealing with this tension for quite a while.

( First, some amateur epidemiology. )

( Things have improved; things could have been much worse. )

( What's really scary? )

In 1996, in response to the development of protease treatments, Andrew Sullivan proclaimed in an article for the New York Times Magazine that the AIDS epidemic was over. Eight years later, we're still waiting for that end to appear over the indefinitely receding horizon. In the meantime, there's nothing to do but be justifiably paranoid and careful, for anyone.

( Counter )