Stigma against People Living with HIV Remains Strong
According to Dr. Jason Mitchell, Chairman of the Fiji National HIV Outbreak Cluster Response Taskforce, stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV remain widespread in society.
The stigma may even be stronger today, partly due to the growing public association between HIV and drug use.
This association unfairly fuels judgment and misconceptions, as many people with HIV contracted the virus through other means, Dr. Mitchell stated during an interview on fijivillage Straight Talk With Vijay Narayan.
Despite efforts to raise awareness, attitudes towards people living with HIV have shown little improvement over the past two decades.
Author's summary: Stigma against HIV patients persists.