HIV/AIDS was, and continues to be, a unique pandemic. As such, it has set precedent for public health communication that has been echoed today during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sandra Thurman’s lecture on her experiences during the early stages of HIV/AIDS highlights those similarities and allows us to point out the differences.

One major similarity between the HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 pandemics that was apparent in Thurman’s lecture includes the use of well-liked public figures to raise awareness and address misconceptions. From a psychological standpoint, having a familiar face discussing an unfamiliar topic generally makes listeners feel more at ease, and thus more likely to listen to the subject matter. To provide some examples, actor Rock Hudson became an early supporter of HIV/AIDS awareness. This was especially important during a time where the virus was still very unknown and was being overlooked by the highest levels of government. Desmond Tutu, a famous human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, also spoke publicly about groundbreaking HIV/AIDS drug research. In the early 1990s, Magic Johnson rose to become a public advocate on the ongoing pandemic, dispelling the idea that the virus was only spreading among gay men. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen similar methods of public health outreach. For example, celebrities such as Queen Elizabeth, Dolly Parton, and Ryan Reynolds shared videos of their vaccination to various media platforms. As a side note, this concept is not new; Elvis Presley shared his Polio vaccine on live television to encourage the public to get vaccinated as well. As Thurman noted, public figures should be carefully selected to avoid mixed messages.

Another commonality between the two pandemics is the increase in community building activities. As Thurman noted, the AIDS memorial quilt event in 1987 was a massive gathering in honor of those who lost their lives to the virus. 35 years later, it continues to be an annual event that brings those impacted by the pandemic closer together. Although we have not experienced an event for COVID-19 on a similar scale, smaller communities were able to get together to help raise awareness and improve treatment for the virus. For example, volunteers from Emory helped set up and administer testing sites. Later on, volunteers also worked at vaccination sites in areas with lower vaccination rates, hoping to educate people on potential benefits.

One key difference between COVID -19 and HIV/AIDS was the quickness of national awareness. Due to the nature of the virus, the faster methods of communicating information, and the more immediate recognition of the virus by government officials, public health responses were much quicker and robust during the COVID-19 outbreak. Although there is still room to improve, public health outreach has improved significantly since the early stages of HIV/AIDS.