“When I was first diagnosed with HIV, over twenty-two years ago now, I assumed that I was going to die very soon. At the time, very little was known about HIV and the things it could lead to. There was no therapy or treatment available. And too many people had already died. I remember one of the things my doctor said to me: “You are going to have to learn to live with uncertainty”; and to an extent that remains true, as none of us really know what the future will bring. But there have been huge advances in medical knowledge and science since then.” -Rt Hon Lord Smith of Finsbury
HIV is still surrounded by huge stigma, 25 years later on. Stigma not only makes it more difficult for people trying to come to terms with and manage their illness on a personal level, but it also interferes with attempts to fight the AIDS epidemic as a whole.
