Understanding and Addressing AIDS-Related Stigma: From Anthropological Theory to Clinical Practice in Haiti
Arachu Castro, PhD, MPH and
Paul Farmer, MD, PhD
The authors are with the Program in Infectious Disease and Social Change, Department of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Partners In Health; and the Division of Social Medicine and Health Inequalities, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Womens Hospital, Boston, Mass.
Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Arachu Castro, PhD, MPH, Program in Infectious Disease and Social Change, Department of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, 641 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115 (e-mail: arachu_castro{at}hms.harvard.edu).
For the past several years, diverse and often confused conceptsof stigma have been invoked in discussions on AIDS. Many haveargued compellingly that AIDS-related stigma acts as a barrierto voluntary counseling and testing. Less compelling are observationsregarding the source of stigma or its role in decreasing interestin HIV care.
We reviewed these claims as well as literature from anthropology,sociology, and public health. Preliminary data from researchin rural Haiti suggest that the introduction of quality HIVcare can lead to a rapid reduction in stigma, with resultingincreased uptake of testing. Rather than stigma, logistic andeconomic barriers determine who will access such services. Implicationsfor scale-up of integrated AIDS prevention and care are explored.
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