AIDS Stigma Makes Prevention Impossible

In the fight against HIV, developing countries and newly industrialized nations are still deeply disadvantaged. Education and medication are lacking.

The virus was first detected in the United States in young homosexual men in June 1981. At this time, many people had an attitude of “This too shall pass.” This, however, proved far from the truth. Presently, 25 million people worldwide have died from the virus and every day 7,000 people are newly infected. No longer are victims only men; among them are also women and children. However much the spread of the virus is suppressed, the pathogens still present a risk in industrialized countries.

Of course there has also been real progress: If they can get treatment, today people with HIV can lead a more or less normal life. Just this week, American researchers announced the discovery of a human protein that retains some immunocompetent cells from the infection. Scientific success, however, still battles societal taboos.

Even if an advocacy group is willing to campaign about the disease, the issue might barely make its way into media discourse. In Germany, for one, they would rather talk about the 70,000 HIV-positive people than speak with them directly about their illness. One thing remains clear, though: AIDS is still incurable.

The Fight Is Far From Won

The fight against this invisible, latent disease is still far from won. The resources and financial aid given to the illness are especially disproportionate. The HIV virus has eliminated entire generations in southern Africa. Few people have access to treatment, and the pills that could prevent an outbreak are too expensive.

The prevention process is limited: Especially in the regions that are most affected, hardly anyone has access to educational materials. The current problem is an old one: stigmatization of those affected by the disease. For a long time the danger of the illness was denied, particularly in South Africa by former President Mbeki. The fear of exclusion reduces the people to silence. And this silence undermines the only vaccine that has been effective up until now: the knowledge about how to protect oneself against infection.