Season 6, Episode 30

HIV Then and Now: The History That Changed the World

In this special feed drop episode, Please Me host Eve Hall shares a powerful conversation from the Shameless Care Podcast, exploring the history of HIV and AIDS—from its devastating beginnings to today’s life-saving medical breakthroughs.

This episode traces how fear, misinformation, and stigma shaped the early AIDS crisis, how science and activism transformed treatment, and where we stand now with modern prevention tools like antiretroviral therapy (ART) and PrEP. It’s a vital conversation about education, access, consent, and the importance of shame-free sexual health care.

The first reported HIV/AIDS cases in the early 1980s

Early misconceptions, panic, and stigma surrounding transmission

The discovery of HIV and the development of testing

Why AIDS was once considered universally fatal

The role of public health leaders, including Dr. Anthony Fauci

Activism, government response, and public education efforts

Breakthroughs in HIV treatment and combination therapy (HAART)

The meaning of Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U)

How PrEP has transformed HIV prevention

Why HIV still affects communities today due to gaps in access and awareness