Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force Weighs In On Charlie Sheen's Diagnosis
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Advocates in the HIV/AIDS community say actor Charlie Sheen's announcement that he is HIV positive has renewed the conversation about the virus and the stigma that comes with it.
"It affects and infects everyone, regardless of gender, race and economic status. A straight white male can get infected just like anyone else," says Jason Herring, of PATF.
Sheen is taking a regimen of drugs that has reduced his viral level so low that it is right now undetectable.
It's something Mike Hellman knows about firsthand.
"I tested positive at the first test, 1985. So, that was the first test, 30 years with HIV. I'm sure I was infected through unprotected sex," said Hellman.
Sheen could afford to pay to keep his secret private, but the average person cannot. So advocates work to eliminate the stigma associate with the virus, like myths about how it's transmitted.
"There are still people out there who are afraid of eating after someone because they think they might get it, or using a toilet seat. We think of those things as archaic," says Herring. "But it still happens - its blood, semen, breast milk. It's an issue of bodily fluids."
"Young people today who are getting infected are often in the work force, and they don't want people to know. So, I was really encouraged by seeing Charlie Sheen," added Hellman.
The CDC estimates there are 1.2 million people in the country that are HIV positive, and of those, only one in five knows their status, that's why testing is so important.
You can get a free test, anonymously, at places like the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force, six days a week.
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