Stigma against people living with HIV still strong in society - Dr Mitchell
Stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV remain widespread in our society, with attitudes showing little improvement over the past two decades.
According to Dr Jason Mitchell, Chairman of the Fiji National HIV Outbreak Cluster Response Taskforce, the stigma may even be stronger today, partly due to the growing public association between HIV and drug use.
Dr Mitchell says this link unfairly fuels judgement and misconceptions, as many people with HIV contracted the virus through other means.
This was highlighted during an interview on fijivillage Straight Talk With Vijay Narayan.
Author's summary: Stigma against HIV patients persists.