By Victoria Mejicanos
AFRO Staff Writer
vmejicanos@afro.com
Medical improvements have allowed people with HIV to live longer than what was once possible, creating a population of older and middle-aged adults who never anticipated dealing with chronic health issues associated with aging and the lasting emotional and social impact of the initial epidemic.
The AFRO spoke with experts and survivors about the history of the initial epidemic, where research has gone and where it needs to go to effectively serve patients.
According to AidsVu, a site that measures data on HIV, “In 2023, people aged 55 and up accounted for 42 percent of people living with HIV in the U.S.”
Additionally, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2022, Black people comprised approximately 12 percent of the population of the United States, but accounted for 37 percent of the estimated 31,800 new HIV infections.
Dr. Richard Chaisson is a longtime infectious disease and HIV expert at Johns Hopkins University and was involved in the care given at the nation’s second center to treat AIDS patients during the 1980s epidemic.
Chaisson explained that HIV treatment has become more manageable, with millions taking just one pill a day. In fact, an aging HIV-positive population now has to worry about being more susceptible to ailments associated with aging, such as diabetes, dementia and various cancers.
“We’re definitely seeing lots of older people and their medical needs are now much more than just taking care of their HIV,” said Chaisson. “Taking care of their HIV is usually the easy part, and the harder part is taking care of everything else.”
Gregory Curtis, a long-term survivor who has been living with HIV since 1995, has been involved in local and national advocacy for people aging with HIV. He currently works at the Pride Center of Maryland as coordinator of elder services, supporting older adults living with HIV.
He also facilitates the Empowerment Circle, a support group he developed to help individuals find connection, purpose and stability. The group provides a welcoming space for people to share their experiences, access resources, and build confidence as they move forward in their lives.
Curtis explained that when he was first diagnosed, medication was mostly experimental when it was available to patients, and there was stigma and misinformation about HIV and AIDS and how it was transmitted.
“It was a pretty dark time,” said Curtis. “There was a lot of death.”
Curtis shared that at the time of his diagnosis he was started on a regimen of AZT, one of the first medications approved for treating HIV, and dealt with complications as the medication left him so sick he was unable to function. Curtis shared that for many years, he did not take medication, and it took him time to accept his diagnosis. Now, he has been able to see years of progress in treatment.
“It took a long time for me to be able to really understand the stigma and why it’s there and how you can still have dignity, [that] you can still live healthy lives [and] that the diagnosis is not a death sentence,” he said. “… Just the resilience, you know, of our community is just so amazing right now.”
What motivates him now is continuing to give back to his community and share his story. For Curtis, his journey has come “full circle.”
He shared that at some point in his journey he faced death–becoming extremely ill and not knowing if he would survive.
“I know a lot of people, they get other complications with it, and they don’t make it or it ends up a lot worse,” said Curtis. “Fortunately enough, I was able to be here, and I’m a believer. I’m a faith believer. I believe that I’m here–still here–for a reason.”