In the past decade, there has been a significant decline in
public knowledge of how HIV is transmitted. In the same period,
the number of damaging myths and misconceptions has increased.
There has been no positive change in public attitudes towards
HIV, and a significant minority of the public still hold
stigmatising and discriminatory views about people with the
virus. Public education plays a vital role in helping people
understand the facts about HIV and the unacceptability of HIV
stigma and discrimination. Ultimately, greater public
understanding will also lead to lower levels of HIV transmission
and a more supportive society for people living with HIV.
Tellingly, there has been no real investment in educating the
public about HIV and recent sexual health campaigns – especially
those aimed at young people – have made no mention of it at all.
Young people rarely learn about HIV in schools, where sex
education is still not compulsory and remains, in some areas,
extremely limited. The media, meanwhile, very