HIV/AIDS series: Island woman’s life marked by stigma

At age 30, Nicole could be a poster woman for good looks and good health – except for one issue she feels compelled to keep secret.

While her family and close friends know, she is very careful about telling others that, at age 21, she was diagnosed with HIV.

…

There’s no reason for Nicole not to have a healthy sexual relationship without fear of transmitting HIV, said Dr. Julio Montaner, one of the world’s pre-eminent HIV/AIDS experts.

Montaner, a professor of medicine at the University of B.C., said that thanks to HAART – a therapy that he helped develop – Nicole’s viral load is undetectable and, as such, it is not possible for her to transmit HIV to others.

Katherine Dedyna
Times Colonist
Read More

Scroll to Top