The virus has levelled up and so must we.
💉 Get all the shots
I won’t belabour this.
That’s for the mRNA kind. Two doses for the Janssen/J&J vaccine.
My feelings around boosters are complicated. We obviously need them because the Omicron variant is causing breakthrough infections even in those who’ve had a booster. At the same time, too many parts of the world haven’t even received first shots. It blows. Still, I don’t think we can afford to wait anymore.
One interesting bit of information is that Moderna shots are the most protective. The initial immune reaction can be intense (ask me how I know), but a course of Moderna will allow your body to mount the best defence, and its efficacy appears to be waning more slowly than the others’.
How to use this: get as many shots as your local authorities will allow you to get. If you are able to choose and mix and match, go for the Moderna jab. If you had Moderna for the first round and are able to do so, stick to it. But if you can’t, fear not. The others will also protect you.
🩸 HIV/AIDS’ best friend is stigma
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the other ongoing pandemic. Wednesday was AIDS awareness day. Estimates place the number of deaths at 32 million, and the number of people who are living with it at 38 million.
You’ll be shocked to learn that disinformation and stigma around it are still spreading. How do we fight this? In part by making it safe to talk about it. So here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to list the few key things everyone needs to know about HIV/AIDS and you are going to help us share this knowledge (you can forward or link to this, even). If I’ve missed anything, you will let me know. Deal? Deal.
HIV is transmitted via CERTAIN bodily fluids. These include blood, semen, vaginal and anal fluids, breast milk. It is NOT transmitted via tears, saliva, sweat, or shared water. You cannot get it by sharing a glass, a fork, or a bath.
We are all susceptible. Men, women, non-binary people, cis and trans people, gay or straight. All of us are concerned.
Lubricated condoms (you don’t want condoms breaking) during sex are protective. Also protective: not sharing needles if you inject yourself with anything.
Whilst there is no vaccine against HIV, it no longer has to kill! Treatments exist that not only neutralise the virus’ ability to make you ill, they can also reduce your viral load in these fluids to undetectable levels. And here is the good news:
U = U
undetectable = untransmittable
If you can’t detect it, you can’t transmit it to someone else.
Shout it from the rooftops.Get. Tested. Often. Yes, even if you’re monogamous. Get tested. Just as it is for Covid, we stop the spread by getting tested, sharing our serological status, and seeking help.
There is also a treatment you can take that prevents you from getting infected. It’s often referred to as PrEP (Pre Exposure Prophylaxis) and the brand name is Truvada. Man, I love the 21st century.
Information, detection and treatment are the three prongs in the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS. This requires de-stigmatisation and equity in access to all three.
Equitable access to all three is a matter of political will. HIV is spreading more rapidly amongst racial minorities and developing countries — NOT a coincidence.
When an illness becomes manageable and preventable, the only thing standing in the way is stigma. We can help dismantle that.
How to use this: talk about it. Talk about it. Talk about it. Act Up have slapped us upside the head with this slogan since the 1980s, and they are correct: “silence = death.” Talk about it with your friends, your family, your kids. The longer shame is a factor, the longer it will take to end it.
PS: most people with HIV can get vaccinated against Covid, provided other illnesses haven’t developed.
🧔🏽 Masks and facial hair
I didn’t know the Centers for Disease Control had published this graphic (in 2017!). Caught it somewhere on Twitter this week and it cracked me up. Some of these names are epic. I notice they were also careful to exclude the “Adolf” (“Chaplin”?).
Anyhoo, simple enough, do not cross the seal with your hair:
How to use this: stay safe, hipsters.