Éric Neault was diagnosed with HIV 28 years ago. At the age of 22 at the time, he had no idea that he would be able to live a practically normal life today.
“I saw my life demolished. I was like, “I’m going to die tomorrow.” It turned in my head. But the first reaction I had spontaneously was: “I will no longer be able to have children,” Neault told TVA Nouvelles.
Even though the annual number of HIV infections has decreased slightly in recent years in the province, prejudices against carriers are still present.
After a long journey, Éric Neault wants to remove the stigma associated with the disease. According to him, few people know that it is possible, with medication, to stop transmitting HIV.
“Let him be diligent in taking his medication, well, he falls undetectable.” Like me, I am, I am undetectable. So there is not enough virus in my blood to infect my partner and also if I want to have a child, ”added Mr. Neault.
HIV cases are declining in Quebec. Between 2009 and 2013, there were, on average, 331 new diagnoses per year. A statistic that increases to 308 between 2014 and 2018.
“The epidemic is slowing down. We can consider it like that. It is a fairly fluctuating epidemic around the world, ”explained Pierre-Henri Minot, director general of the HIV / AIDS Portal.
“All populations around the world do not have the same access, do not have the same challenges. The world is what it is, people move around the world, so that will bring variations between people who are here, settled for a long time, then people who come, for example, from elsewhere ”, a added the expert.
Éric Neault reminds us that there is hope for people who are or will be diagnosed with HIV.
“What I tell them, precisely, to people:” Well, look, life is beautiful! Then, yes, live what you have to live. Because it is important to live it, our ‘down’, our difficult end. I had to face it, then I went to therapy, I decided to face it. There is hope to live a normal couple life. There is hope to be healthy, then in good health, ”concluded Mr. Neault.
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