Rights of vulnerable people and the future of HIV/AIDS

An article in the Lancet Infectious Diseases, Volume 10, Issue 2, Page 67, February 2010.

The authors argue that prejudice, discrimination, and stigmatisation of people with HIV/AIDS, and key groups most affected by and at most risk of the disease, continue to hamper eff orts to tackle the pandemic. That about a third of people living with HIV/AIDS in countries without generalised epidemics are men who have sex with men, sex workers, and injecting drug users, and in countries with generalised epidemics people in these key groups have a higher prevalence of HIV/AIDS than do the general population. They conclude that only by improving the rights of these people can they have better access to prevention, treatment, and management. Funding organisations can help to address these issues, by asking governments for legislation that removes barriers to accessing care and by encouraging local advocacy for these vulnerable groups.

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