People infected with HIV suffer more from discrimination than from the illness itself
The way society deals with HIV is lagging behind medical developments: some dentists would not treat infected people. There are also problems at work. This is shown by a survey among those affected, for whom the disease itself is often not a burden.
MAccording to a study, people with the immunodeficiency HIV suffer less from the disease itself than from prejudice and discrimination. On the basis of two surveys, the German Aids Aid (DAH) and the Jena Institute for Democracy and Civil Society (IDZ) published a corresponding study in Berlin on Friday.
Then 90 percent of those questioned answered in the affirmative that they can live well with their HIV infection. Three quarters of those questioned stated that they had little or no health impairment thanks to good therapy options.
At the same time, almost all respondents (95 percent) reported at least one discriminatory experience in the past twelve months due to HIV. About half (52 percent) said they were affected by prejudice about HIV infection in life.
For the study entitled “positive voices 2.0”, 450 HIV-positive people were interviewed personally between May 2020 and January this year and 935 people with HIV between June and October 2020 online. It also became clear that discrimination is still particularly common in the health sector.
According to the information, 56 percent of the online respondents had at least one negative experience in the past twelve months. 16 percent report that they have been denied dental care at least once. Eight percent did this with general health services.
“Today people with HIV can live, love and work like everyone else,” explained Matthias Kuske, project coordinator at DAH, at the presentation of the study results. For many, the social consequences are more severe than the health consequences of HIV infection: “Social development is slower than medical development.”
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Treating people with HIV differently from others is completely unnecessary and clearly discriminatory. “The usual hygiene measures are completely sufficient. In any case, HIV can no longer be transmitted under therapy, ”says Kuske.
One of the consequences of stigmatization is that those affected hide their infection in many areas of life, such as at work. This also has the consequence that respondents feel guilty and ashamed of being HIV-positive. However, other survey participants also said that over time it has become easier to disclose one’s HIV status.
Aidshilfe’s demands include an appropriate presentation of life with HIV in the media and data protection and privacy protection in the health care system. “Our study clearly shows that HIV continues to be associated with a stigma in our society.” It is therefore necessary to educate the population more about the positive consequences of HIV therapy, explained social psychologist Janine Dieckmann, scientific project manager at IDZ.
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