Does Magic Johnson still have HIV?

[WarSong]

I just saw an interview with him this morning and he was talking about maybe running for mayor of LA in 10 years... He looked perfectly healthy and the interviewer didn't even ask a single question about his HIV status (at least while I was watching). What happened? Did I miss something? /me is confused

 

[chrisjor]

Once HIV+...always HIV+. Question is, with his superior health/fitness, when or will it ever develop into AIDS?

 

[Fausto]

Yes. There is currently no cure for HIV. The reason he looks healthy is that current HIV drug therapy will knock the viral load down to nearly undetectable levels so it can't gain a foothold and progress into full-blown AIDS. He'd likely be dead in two years if he stopped taking all the drugs.

Fausto

 

[yakko]

Also not everyone who is HIV+ gets full blown AIDS.

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: yakko
Also not everyone who is HIV+ gets full blown AIDS.

True, although those cases are pretty rare.

 

[Thegonagle]

He will always be HIV positive. When someone is HIV positive it does not mean the thing same as having full-blown AIDS. Drug treatments exist that can hold the disease AIDS at bay for many years. He's one of the lucky ones who can afford them without a worry.

 

[WarSong]

is he doing so well because he is getting special treatment? maybe stuff not available to the general public? how long ago did he annouce his status? don't get me wrong, i don't want anything bad to happen to anybody, but if he was just a regular dude off the street, i don't think he would be around today.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: WarSong
is he doing so well because he is getting special treatment? maybe stuff not available to the general public? how long ago did he annouce his status? don't get me wrong, i don't want anything bad to happen to anybody, but if he was just a regular dude off the street, i don't think he would be around today.

I highly doubt it. He's benefiting from the same therapy that has saves hundreds of thousands of people with HIV. Yes, even lower income folks (there are more than enough private AIDS outreaches and state programs to pay for treatment). The only real requirement is the willingness to take the pills on a highly regimented time schedule.

 

[Thegonagle]

You can be sure he's getting the best treatment that money can buy. I've heard that all the drugs that an HIV patient must take to prevent AIDS (obviously not 100% either) cost several hundred to several thousand dollars per month, not to mention the doctors he consults with.

 

[tcsenter]

is he doing so well because he is getting special treatment? maybe stuff not available to the general public? how long ago did he annouce his status? don't get me wrong, i don't want anything bad to happen to anybody, but if he was just a regular dude off the street, i don't think he would be around today.

Well, if you were filthy rich, would you not pursue the best health care available at any price...spare no expense? It isn't difficult to imagine there might be a discrepancy in the quality of health care between an IV drug user and a multi-millionare.

 

[pulse8]

Originally posted by: WarSong
is he doing so well because he is getting special treatment? maybe stuff not available to the general public? how long ago did he annouce his status? don't get me wrong, i don't want anything bad to happen to anybody, but if he was just a regular dude off the street, i don't think he would be around today.

Not necessarily true. I worked on a documentary where the focus was on a guy who's been diagnosed with it for about 18 or 19 years now. He was one of the first 1% to get the disease in the US and only a handful of them are still alive. I think luck and determination have a lot to do with surviving HIV/AIDS because he refuses to die. The drugs he's been on are HORRIBLE, but I think he's on something now that's similar to Magic. He can enjoy his life to a certain extent without the disease interfering as much.

an IV drug user and a multi-millionare.

Speaking of which. Does anyone know now how he got it in the first place?

 

[Lorax]

i'm sure he still has it, and is also takes lots of expensive treatments to slow the effects of the disease down.. protease inhibitors and such.

if i'm not mistaken, johnson anounced his retirement midseason in 91, and after a brief lull, played basketball again for the allstar game, etc.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Garfang
You can be sure he's getting the best treatment that money can buy. I've heard that all the drugs that an HIV patient must take to prevent AIDS (obviously not 100% either) cost several hundred to several thousand dollars per month.

And as I pointed out, these treatments are available to everyone through private and state programs. The MAIN obstacle in these treatments is getting people to take their pills on time and consistantly.

 

[Fausto]

Speaking of which. Does anyone know now how he got it in the first place?

Unprotected sex with zillions of women is a pretty safe bet.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Fausto1

Speaking of which. Does anyone know now how he got it in the first place?

Unprotected sex with zillions of women is a pretty safe bet.

Yep. Even though many still try to deny it, a man CAN contract the HIV by having sex with an infected woman.

 

[DeafeningSilence]

He is also probably better off than most because of his healthy, athletic body: good health --> stronger immune system.

 

[Modeps]

from what I understand, there is no trace of it in his body anymore.

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: Intake77
from what I understand, there is no trace of it in his body anymore.

Right, like I said before you can knock the virus load down to virtually nothing, but it will come right back if you stop drug therapy.

We need to get p0ntif in on this thread, since he's an HIV researcher by trade IIRC.

Fausto

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Fausto1

Originally posted by: Intake77
from what I understand, there is no trace of it in his body anymore.

Right, like I said before you can knock the virus load down to virtually nothing, but it will come right back if you stop drug therapy.

We need to get p0ntif in on this thread, since he's an HIV researcher by trade IIRC.

Fausto

Exactly. Even though they can eliminate virtually all trace of the virus in the blood stream, some still resides in the lymph node glands, and will reemerge if not contiuously treated by the drugs.

Magic and his wife had a brief peiod of utter ignorance and complete stupidity when she went on BET and claimed her husband was cured "by the grace of god", and that they no longer had protective sex. The medical community set them straight VERY quickly on that one.

 

[BillGates]

GUYS!! SHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!

He's trying to make everybody forget about it so that he can get laid again!!

 

[ElFenix]

they don't actually detect the virus. they detect chemicals the body produces trying to fight it.

 

[Peetoeng]

You don't say!

Originally posted by: AmusedOne
Yep. Even though many still try to deny it, a man CAN contract the HIV by having sex with an infected woman.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Peetoeng
You don't say!

Originally posted by: AmusedOne
Yep. Even though many still try to deny it, a man CAN contract the HIV by having sex with an infected woman.

Oh, but I DID say!

 

[Ameesh]

does anyone know how he got it?

 

[Shelly21]

I heard he caught it by sharing needles....

Reason why he kept on having news conference trying to tell everyone that he caught it from having sex with a woman to repair his image.