On March 22, 23 and 24, the thirtieth edition of Sidaction was held, an annual event to collect donations for the fight against HIV organized by the association of the same name. However, it is not time for celebration for Sidaction. In addition to the slight drop in donations observed in recent years, the fight against HIV is suffering from a growing lack of interest and a lack of information among young people about this virus.
As evidenced by a Ifop study published last November on “young people’s preconceived ideas about AIDS”. “Prejudices about HIV and discrimination against HIV-positive people are progressing in a worrying manner: the indicators recorded are the worst since the creation of the survey in 2009,” warns the research institute.
For example, a quarter of young people (between 15 and 24 years old) believe that HIV can be transmitted by sitting on a public toilet seat or drinking from the glass of an HIV-positive person. How can we explain the persistence of these preconceived ideas? Are they linked to the drop in donations observed in recent years? Interview with Florence Thune, general director of Sidaction.
L’Express: A few hours before the end of the Sidaction collection, are you satisfied with this 2024 edition?
Florence Thune: At this stage we have raised 3.25 million euros – a figure equivalent to last year. However, we remain attentive to how donations will evolve between now and the end of the collection. I am always impressed and admiring to see that, despite the economic situation, inflation and current events likely to make an event like Sidaction less visible, donations continue.
In recent years, the amount collected was around 4 million euros. This is down slightly, particularly since the health crisis. Our action continues but we must deploy more efforts, both to communicate around Sidaction, but also to reiterate essential messages around awareness.
Do you establish a link between this slight drop in donations in recent years and the lack of knowledge among young people about HIV?
These are two parallel trends that can possibly feed each other. Regardless of the collection issues, young people – and sometimes, not so young – may consider that it is no longer a priority, that it is talked about less and that HIV has disappeared. I would like to agree with them but unfortunately this is contradicted by the figures. Another 5,000 people discover their HIV status each year [NDLR : en France].
The persistence of these preconceived ideas and poor information about the modes of transmission of HIV can fuel a feeling of natural protection against this virus. The risk is that we once again consider that HIV only concerns others.
Are young people’s lack of interest and lack of knowledge regarding HIV becoming more and more significant?
Even if the indicators are particularly worrying in the latest Ifop survey, for several years we have noted a lack of interest and a lack of information. Besides, the two go together. This can be explained in particular by the fact that we talk about it less in schools. In March 2023, with Family Planning and SOS Homophobia, we took action against the State for non-application of the 2020 law on sexuality education.
If young people have these preconceived ideas, it is because they do not have sufficient information. Furthermore, these ideas are fueled by social networks, where we sometimes find conspiracy theories according to which, for example, HIV does not exist.
According to the Ifop survey, 79% of young people believe they have sufficient knowledge about HIV and, at the same time, 30% of this population category think that AIDS can be transmitted by kissing an HIV-positive person. How to explain this paradox ?
These people who think that you can contract HIV by kissing an HIV-positive person think they are well informed. This is information that has been conveyed by the irrational fear that AIDS has represented for four decades and which is not changing. When a person has HIV, those around them try to find out how they caught it. By comparison, if someone has diabetes – a chronic illness, like AIDS – no one asks how it happened.
This is part of an imagination around HIV that we have difficulty getting rid of, despite passing generations and scientific advances. Furthermore, this may come from a lack of belief in science, particularly since the Covid crisis. Today, we must know that people undergoing treatment remain healthy and have no risk of transmission, including during sex without a condom.
At Sidaction, how do you fight against these false beliefs?
These three days of Sidaction constitute an important window of communication, but it is very short. It is believed that the government should again launch a national information campaign on what HIV is today. This would encourage screening and combat preconceived ideas.
In Canada, the epidemic is starting again, as the latest figures show [NDLR : le pays a connu une augmentation de 24,9 % des nouveaux cas de VIH en 2022 par rapport à 2021, selon la Fondation canadienne de recherche sur le sida]. It’s a warning sign. As long as the epidemic is not controlled, there is a risk of recovery, including in “rich” countries.
What are the latest advances in HIV treatment?
Until now, treatments were taken daily. Today, solutions injected every two months are beginning to appear. The idea is to show that a treatment is effective over time and this is one of our major challenges in terms of financing for the years to come. Ultimately, why not consider a treatment that is effective for the entire lifespan of people? In the absence of a vaccine quickly, this injectable treatment is a very interesting avenue. Research continues to progress, hence our fight which does not stop.