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Ryan White: The Stigma Of AIDS

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It is the late 1970s, there is this epidemic, everyone is going absolutely crazy, every person is trying to figure out what the hell is going on, people are dying, and a stigma emerges just as quickly as the people are dying of this plague. In 1982, this disease finally gets a name and the AIDS stigma is in full force. AIDS related stigma and discrimination refers to the negative attitude, prejudice, and abuse directed towards people living with AIDS and HIV. The consequences of this stigma and discrimination are numerous. Some people are shunned by family, friends and the greater community, while others are faced with poor treatment in healthcare and education settings, destruction of their human rights, and psychological damage. All of these …show more content…

These same consequences were projected on a twelve-year old boy named Ryan White who became infected with HIV, and suffered unimaginable discrimination, fed by ignorance, fear, and prejudice (Saag 166). This particular case ignited the fire of combat that led to the reformation of the AIDS stigma and opened the door to many opportunities in legislation for the protection of all human rights. This paper will explore the stigma of AIDS, the effect of Ryan White had on such, and the present day outlook on the disease. HIV stands for 'human immunodeficiency virus'. HIV is a retrovirus that infects the T cells of the human immune system, and destroys and/or impairs their function, which reduces the body’s ability to fight infections. Once infected with this virus a person’s immune system experiences progressive deterioration which leads to immune deficiency. The immune system is considered deficient when it cannot fulfill its role in fighting off disease and infection. People with deficient immune systems are more susceptible to many infections, most of which do not affect the rest of the population without immune deficiency. Opportunistic infections are the infections …show more content…

Self-stigma is just as damaging on mental wellbeing of people living with HIV than that from another source. These people are scared of the discrimination that they may face which can stop them from seeking proper medical attention. The exact fear can be a limiting factor in the push to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic by continuing a wall of silence and shame surrounding the virus and its victims (Ogden, Nyblade28). In the report, Common at its Core: HIV-Related Stigma Across Contexts, a woman in Vietnam is quoted saying, “I am afraid of giving my disease to my family members-especially my youngest brother who is so small. It would be so pitiful if he got the disease. I am aware that I have the disease so I do not touch him—I talk with him only. I don’t hold him in my arms now” (Ogden, Nyblade 32). This quote speaks of such self-isolation and fear that comes from the sigma induced upon the victim

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