Stigma of AIDS needs to be overcome

doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7465.573-a

BMJ 2004;329:573 (4 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7465.573-a

Letter

Stigma of AIDS needs to be overcome

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—With reference to the editorial by Ruger, combatingHIV-AIDS in industrialising countries requires improving theconditions under which people are free to choose safer lifestrategies and conditions for themselves and future generations.¹

Sexually transmitted infections have always been imbued withstigma because of their association with behaviours considereddeviant or immoral.² Drug use should be treated as a publichealth issue, not a criminal one. Despite a dearth of researchon the topic, it is increasingly acknowledged that effectiveprevention and treatment strategies require an understandingof cultural frameworks, including stigmatisation.³

Many groups whose behaviour puts them at high risk for contractingHIV infection, such as men who have sex with men, commercialsex workers, and injecting drug users, are stigmatised and abused,and in some cases their behaviour is criminalised.⁴

Many countries with successful HIV policies and programmes donot implement effective HIV prevention policies and . . . [Full text of this article]

Ediriweera B R Desapriya, research associate

Department of Paediatrics, University of British Columbia, Centre for Community Child Health Research, 4480 Oak Street, L 408, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6H 3V4 edesap@cw.bc.ca

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