The stigma towards HIV & Aids.

The state of the aids epidemic

Source: unaids.org

Shows that there is an incline in the number of people living with the virus

This is because of improvements in health-care, medicine and people becoming aware of HIV enabled people with the virus to live longer in 21st century, in contrast to the people who had the

Aids in the 60’s – 90’s.

In the early 90’s people were still coming to terms with the newly found illness which was discovered by Professor Francoise Barre-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier.

Stigma towardsHIV & Aids

• HIV/AIDS is only the latest disease to be stigmatized.

Source: mrc

My primary research

Question:How would you react if someone with HIV/aids sat or stood next to you??

For my research to see how people would reactions and opinions towards people with HIV & Aids, I asked 5 people.

‘I wouldn’t mind because it is not contagious unless you

encounter unprotected sex or like a cut and their preparing a

meal for you but other than that, I wouldn’t react.’

‘I wouldn’t act any more different.’

‘I really don’t know I would react if I was in the situation.’

‘I’ll just give support to that person, because I know that I

won’t catch it.’

‘I wouldn’t react cause its not like it would affect me at all.’

‘I would react normally as it doesn’t harm me at all.’

‘If I knew I would be self conscious.’

‘I wouldn’t act anymore differently with someone who doesn’t have

the illness or virus because they are still human and deserve treated

equally.’

Laws in place against discrimination towards HIV/Aids infected people

• The Equality Act applies in England, Wales and Scotland. In Northern Ireland, similar protections are given by the Disability Discrimination Act.

Here are some examples of things which wouldnormally be against the law:

pays a lower salary toemployees with HIV and Aids because they feel that they will get sick in the near future.A dental surgery which refuses to registerpeople with HIV as patients.Unjustified fears of HIV transmission, excludes peoplewith HIV.

Early HIV prevention poster from the UK in 1984.

Source: avert.org

Poster about HIV & Aids at the beginning of new epidemic and scientists were still coming to terms of what it is and where it came from.

New HIV infections and aids related deaths worldwide since 1990.

New HIV infections are higher but there are more advanced treatment…

Aids related deaths are much lower than the New HIV infections trend because of health-care and medicine.

Source: unaids.org

HIV treatment• Paul Ward, deputy chief

executive at the UK's Terrence Higgins Trust, said: "These guidelines have implications for the UK and would expand the number of people eligible for HIV treatment.

• "Using treatment to reduce transmission is a key part of modern prevention efforts, including our own.

• "In the UK, we have some of the best treatments in the world, and offering them earlier could be one way of slowing the spread of the epidemic. It could also improve the person's own long-term health."

HIV treatment costs

• HIV treatment in London costs £247m per year, according to NHS London, with almost 30,000 people accessing care and that number rising by 5% annually.

Source: bbc

Free treatment by the NHS.Foreigners to be offered free treatment for HIV on the NHS

Those from abroad, including failed asylum seekers, students and tourists are currently barred from receiving free HIV treatment – unlike other infectious diseases.

However, the Government is to support proposals recommended by peers which will end the “anomaly” and allow free treatment even for those not legally settled in Britain.

It typically costs up to £7,000 a year to treat someone diagnosed with HIV and an average of £300,000 per patient over their lifetime with the disease.

Source: telegraph