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| Charlie Sheen Photo: Joella Marano |
Speaking on the Today Show, actor Charlie Sheen today confirmed rumours that he is HIV positive. The Wall Street star had wished to keep his health issues private but was forced into the open by newspaper stories which, though they did not name him, revealed enough personal details for many people to work out who it was referring to.
Sheen, who found out about his illness four years ago, is receiving treatment which will reduce the level of the virus in his body close to zero, enabling him to stay relatively healthy, although the drugs used have unpleasant side effects in some people. In this situation, an infected person's risk of transmitting the virus to somebody else is very low, though they are still advised to avoid unprotected sex and sharing needles, just in case. Sheen has stressed that he always uses condoms except in two cases with other people who, he implied, are themselves HIV positive. He considers it impossible that he could have passed on the disease.
The former Brat Pack star has always enjoyed working out, which will stand him in good stead as healthy living is important to keeping the disease at bay. Now 50, he is apparently in good health, though he has struggled with addiction in the past. In September he was hospitalised due to food poisoning but made a swift recovery. His acting career is still going strong. He has recently played a leading role in popular TV series Anger Management and Two And A Half Men, and in 2013 he performed for the first time under his given name, Carlos Estévez, in Machete Kills.
The actor said that he faced threats of blackmail after a sex worker found his medication in the bathroom, and hinted that he has had to pay off other people in an attempt to keep his situation private. His ex wife Denise Richards is understood to have been supporting him for some time, and friends including actress Heather Locklear voiced their support today.
Around the world, there are an estimated 37 million people with HIV, and approximately 2 million people were infected last year. The disease is most dangerous to people in developing countries who cannot afford treatment. People who realise they may have been infected can receive a treatment that has the potential to destroy the virus completely if they receive treatment within three days.
If you have been affected by HIV, you can get help and advice from Positively UK.
