Yesterday was World Aids Day. It's a hugely important event given that there are more than 33 million people living with HIV worldwide and it is the number one killer of women aged 15-44. It matters.
New research offers some hope that the number of new Aids cases is decreasing but fear and misunderstanding of HIV are still, even in 2009, hindering the introduction and implementation of more improvements.
HIV prevention programmes are having an impact but as in so many areas of sexual medicine shame, embarrassment and ignorance are our greatest opponents. And then comes stigma and taboo, which are still rampant.
As long as discrimination exists, people will be much less willing to get tested. My faith in human nature is sorely tested when I hear, even today, people stating that HIV and Aids is revenge from God for promiscuity.
Continental Europe is streets ahead of us, promoting greater openness and understanding in dealing with sexuality, including teen sexuality.
This has created wider and easier access to sexual health information and services for people of all ages.
Most important for me is that in Europe political and religious interest groups have little influence on public health policy.
This means that the stigma of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is just not there - going for a check-up is seen as being cool and responsible.
How have they achieved all this? For a start, doctors make STI screening and HIV testing part of normal GP practice.
Ours, in many cases, do not. Ignorance and stigma apply not just to the public's attitude but also, I'm ashamed to say, to my colleagues too.
Many UK doctors still view HIV/Aids as a specialist subject and one that they do not feel confident or willing to get involved with.
HIV is now so prevalent, especially in a large city such as London, that it must now been seen as part of normal, everyday general medicine.
While I agree that the management of HIV-positive patients does indeed require expert care, basic advice and, in particular testing, does not. Any doctor should be able to do it.
There are still far too many GPs who refuse to do HIV tests and send their patients to GUM (genito-urinary medicine) clinics instead.
This sort of insensitive handling only adds to the stigma, and decreases the public's willingness to be tested.
It can take a lot of courage for some people to seek help and one callous comment - even if unintentional - from a stressed doctor can do untold damage.
GPs do an incredible job (for little thanks and many complaints) and are probably in the best possible position to make a difference.
All too often many of us allow personal prejudice, religious beliefs or even academic ambitions to affect the way we practice.
This must stop if doctors are ever going to improve medicine and come crawling from the 20th century into the 21st.
We alienate ourselves at the expense of our patient's health and I am sorry to say that I suspect we may compound the problem of worsening STI and HIV figures in many cases, instead of helping to lower them.
New research offers some hope that the number of new Aids cases is decreasing but fear and misunderstanding of HIV are still, even in 2009, hindering the introduction and implementation of more improvements.
HIV prevention programmes are having an impact but as in so many areas of sexual medicine shame, embarrassment and ignorance are our greatest opponents. And then comes stigma and taboo, which are still rampant.
As long as discrimination exists, people will be much less willing to get tested. My faith in human nature is sorely tested when I hear, even today, people stating that HIV and Aids is revenge from God for promiscuity.
Continental Europe is streets ahead of us, promoting greater openness and understanding in dealing with sexuality, including teen sexuality.
This has created wider and easier access to sexual health information and services for people of all ages.
Most important for me is that in Europe political and religious interest groups have little influence on public health policy.
This means that the stigma of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is just not there - going for a check-up is seen as being cool and responsible.
How have they achieved all this? For a start, doctors make STI screening and HIV testing part of normal GP practice.
Ours, in many cases, do not. Ignorance and stigma apply not just to the public's attitude but also, I'm ashamed to say, to my colleagues too.
Many UK doctors still view HIV/Aids as a specialist subject and one that they do not feel confident or willing to get involved with.
HIV is now so prevalent, especially in a large city such as London, that it must now been seen as part of normal, everyday general medicine.
While I agree that the management of HIV-positive patients does indeed require expert care, basic advice and, in particular testing, does not. Any doctor should be able to do it.
There are still far too many GPs who refuse to do HIV tests and send their patients to GUM (genito-urinary medicine) clinics instead.
This sort of insensitive handling only adds to the stigma, and decreases the public's willingness to be tested.
It can take a lot of courage for some people to seek help and one callous comment - even if unintentional - from a stressed doctor can do untold damage.
GPs do an incredible job (for little thanks and many complaints) and are probably in the best possible position to make a difference.
All too often many of us allow personal prejudice, religious beliefs or even academic ambitions to affect the way we practice.
This must stop if doctors are ever going to improve medicine and come crawling from the 20th century into the 21st.
We alienate ourselves at the expense of our patient's health and I am sorry to say that I suspect we may compound the problem of worsening STI and HIV figures in many cases, instead of helping to lower them.
very good information When I was in a meeting virus classification we talk about AIDS very good your page
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