Postcard, 'Love and Passion Still in Fashion, 2003'

By the 1990s when the ‘Love and Passion Still in Fashion’ campaign was launched, HIV/AIDS was beginning to be better understood. Deaths from diseases linked to HIV/AIDS continued, though more advanced drugs became available to help control the virus and HIV/AIDS began to be seen as less of a death sentence and more as a virus to be treated and lived with. The first anti-retroviral drug used to slow the progression of HIV/AIDS was Zidovudine (ZDV), also known as azidothymidine (AZT), which came in to the market in 1987. It offered hope to many and despite severe side effects such as nausea, muscle fatigue, liver damage, anaemia and chronic headaches, demand was high. In 1992 the first combination therapies were introduced, patients were far less likely to build up immunity from the drugs and they prevented the virus from replicating as effectively. As the virus became better understood and drugs could more effectively allow those living with HIV/AIDS to live longer lives, awareness campaigns such as this one began to teach that, following precautions, people could still lead happy and safe sex lives without risk of HIV/AIDS.