similar markings of hiv/aids stigma
at the height of the hiv/aids crisis in the 1980s and 90s, the virus was still little understood then, yet homophobia and misinformation was rife. gay men faced harassment from strangers and lost access to jobs and travel. at the same time, the u.s. public health service unfairly categorized all haitians as having a high risk of aids. it resulted in many people “being fired from their jobs for no reason other than their national origin.”
soon after,
new york city
removed haitian-americans from the list because the number of cases were too small to label haitian-americans as carriers of aids. and two years later, all
haitian immigrants were removed
from the list. however, the damage was already done and a whole nation of people were left with the stigma.
the association between
hiv-related stigma and the mental health
of people living with hiv is significant. in a systemic review of 64 studies, researchers confirmed that the prejudices towards people living with hiv led to decreased quality of life, social support, and increased rates of depression.
infectious disease specialists say
canada is much better equipped
to deal with outbreaks nowadays. yes, a lot has changed since 2003. our tools, communication, and infection control skills have improved. let’s hope our attitudes and values have also improved.
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racism another symptom of global epidemics