“Stigma remains the single most important barrier to public action. It is a main reason why too many people are afraid to see a doctor to determine whether they have the disease, or to seek treatment if so. It helps make AIDS the silent killer, because people fear the social disgrace of speaking about […]

  South African President Jacob Zuma has implored the people of South Africa to change their attitudes about the epidemic and the stigma attached to HIV. Vuyiseka Dubula, General Secretary of the Treatment Action Campaign and Positive Hero joined President Jacob Zuma launch the new testing campaign when President Zuma took leadership on the issue […]

  Positive Heroes applauds President Zuma, the South African Ministry of Health and the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) for launching a campaign today to test 15 million South Africans by 2011 (up from 2.5million in 2009).   To find a public or private ARV site please go to the Treatment Action Campaign’s Antiretroviral […]

  Universal Themes of Stigma from the Stamp Out Stigma website:   – People are largely unaware that their attitudes and actions are stigmatising – Language is central to how stigma is expressed – Knowledge and fear interact in unexpected ways that allow stigma and discrimination to persist – Sex, morality, shame, and blame are […]