Honors College Thesis
 

Stigma and the HIV Diagnosis

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/honors_college_theses/p8418q27x

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  • One of the roots of the global problem of HIV/AIDS is the shame associated with an HIV diagnosis. Because it can be transmitted sexually, HIV is stigmatized. Even though there are many routes of transmission that would not cause embarrassment, many times the public view is uncompassionate towards its victims, as if they had brought the virus upon themselves. Stigma manifests itself in different ways depending on the culture, but the effect is the same; its victims suffer silently with undeserved shame. In many places AIDS-related stigma catalyzes the spread of HIV. Oftentimes people will avoid getting tested because the community will automatically assume that they are HIV positive. Additionally, in an effort to hide their status, people who are HIV positive do not change their behavior so as to reduce transmission. If their status is known in the community, an HIV positive person faces isolation and economic loss as the community tries to protect itself from the ‘tainting’ of HIV. This stigma is preventable if we can change society’s dominant response towards a life-altering virus. As the root of stigma quite often is misunderstanding or misinformation, we can begin to change our response through a better understanding of HIV.
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