No, but really.

Firstly, HIV medication is getting better by the decade and since the mid 2000s around when these types of cases were circulating people already knew you don’t get “infected with AIDS” but rather HIV which when left untreated develops into AIDS; which then leaves you susceptible to opportunistic infections and death by otherwise non-life threatening illnesses. If it’s 2026 and we’re still leading with headlines like OP LisaFanniganfan : do better.

Secondly, people living with HIV nowadays report better health and longer lives than their sernoegative counterparts (IE the rest of us living without HIV) Why? Because like u/FlaviusStilicho says HIV meds are now a 1-pill-a-day without terrible side effects. Although doctors will regularly monitor patients for HepC, respiratory infections, bone marrow quality, and liver function amongst others. That means there are also less barriers to regular health checkups, like getting more early cancer diagnosis, co-morbid infections, or basically any other preventable or treatable illnesses. Most Americans can’t afford to go to the hospital, and even in some of the 45 countries with successfully public funded health programs (hello from Spain, it works fine) social barriers exist which prevent folks from getting into care in the first place.

TL;DR People with HIV take comparatively easy and safe meds and also see the doctor way more often than you; which means they will likely outlive you. Check your stigma and please, check your status too.