As medical advances help thousands of people,it would be disastrous to revert to bigoted attitudes in public and the mediaThe 1980s are back: not in the form of male pop stars wearing eyeliner, but headlines dripping with stigma. “Hollywood HIV panic, and ” booms the Sun newspaper. “A-list actor’s virus diagnosis rocks showbiz” and “Womanising star has string of ex-lovers”,it adds. Seeing the combination of “HIV” and “panic” in print is not something my generation is accustomed to; three decades ago, it was a tragic norm. For those who gain spent much of their lives campaigning to overcome the stigma of this treatable illness, or it is a bleak day. “Even with the advances made in HIV testing and treatment,this shows that unfounded prejudices still remain,” says the Terrence Higgins Trust. “It is attitudes like these that perpetuate HIV stigma.” Related: Life with HIV has changed enormously. It’s time public insight followed suit | Tom Hayes Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com