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As World AIDS day approaches, a look at the generational response to the epidemic

An Indian nurse carries out tests for HIV/AIDS during an event to promote the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and unwanted preganancies, through condom distribution and to create awareness towards safe sex in New Delhi on February 13, 2016. AFP PHOTO / Chandan KHANNA / AFP / Chandan Khanna        (Photo credit should read CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP/Getty Images)
An Indian nurse carries out tests for HIV/AIDS during an event to promote the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and unwanted preganancies, through condom distribution and to create awareness towards safe sex in New Delhi on February 13, 2016.
(
CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP/Getty Images
)
Listen 18:50
As World AIDS day approaches, a look at the generational response to the epidemic

Once thought a death sentence, HIV is now considered manageable and non-transmittable with the proper use of medication.

This year, both the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that people with undetectable viral loads cannot transmit the virus, though the idea has been slower to catch on among health care providers.

To many younger people coming of age now, HIV is not the pall it once was, but those who lived through the ‘80s remember its toll on the communities and culture of Los Angeles, especially in cities such as West Hollywood and Silverlake.

With World AIDS Day coming up this week, we want to hear from you. If you are HIV positive or were affected by the AIDS epidemic in the ‘80s, how have medical advancements changed your life, both physically and socially? What is your recollection of this period in L.A. history? Have you seen a generational shift in how HIV and AIDS are perceived?

Call us at 866-893-5722.

Guest:

Stephen Inrig, associate professor of health policy and management at Mount Saint Mary’s University; he recently co-wrote the book “The AIDS Pandemic: Searching for a Global Response” (Springer, 2018)