Manifestations and reduction strategies of stigma and discrimination on people living with HIV/AIDS in Tanzania

Abstract

HIV/AIDS-related stigma, and its associated discrimination, is known to negatively affect all aspects of HIV prevention, care and treatment. Studies have revealed the extent to which individuals are stigmatized and discriminated against the health care system. However, there has been limited information on stigma manifestations and reduction interventions. The main objective of the study was to determine the magnitude and factors influencing HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination with a specific focus on the manifestations and reduction interventions. In-depth interviews, exit interviews and focus group discussions were deployed in the study. Results have shown that HIV/AIDS is increasingly conceptualized as a continuum between prevention and care, effects of stigma and discrimination are from both health facilities and communities. While religious leaders isolate people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) and consider them as most promiscuous, health workers also have strong negative attitudes and feelings and as a result PLWHAs refrain from counselling and testing services. A stigmatizing social environment was found to pose barriers to all strategies and/or interventions that are aimed at reducing this situation. Because of stigma and discrimination, people living with HIV/AIDS receive inadequate treatment, as such they decline to divulge their status to partners or change their behaviour avoiding depressing reactions. Basing on that therefore, adequate outreach services at both community and health facility levels be established and line up in the fight against stigma and discrimination facing people living with HIV/AIDS.

Evaluation of Performance and Acceptability of Two Rapid Oral Fluid Tests for HIV Detection in Mozambique

“…The recommendations from this pilot study in Kenya indicated that there was a need to promote messages which emphasized the low risk of transmission of the virus through saliva even though HIV antibodies are detectable in the saliva. Moreover, because adequate outreach testing at the community level, particularly for hard-to-reach populations, is limited in developing countries (17), the use of OF tests might be an alternative strategy for decreasing the stigma associated with testing and increasing the testing uptake in these populations. (18,19).…”

Assessment of Stigma and Discrimination Experienced by People Living with HIV and AIDS Receiving Care/Treatment in University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Ilorin, Nigeria

“…These findings are supported by findings in similar studies conducted in other African Countries which showed that people living with HIV experienced stigma and discrimination at all levels of the communities. [13][14][15][16][17] One quarter (25%) of the respondents had experienced stigmatization and discrimination (ie, unfair treatment) due to their positive HIV status. This finding is lower than findings from similar studies conducted in South Africa and Kenya, which found stigma and discrimination rates of 40% and 43%, respectively.…”

“…8 Several similar studies conducted in other African Countries and other parts of the world also showed that PLWHAs experienced stigma and discrimination in the health care settings. 14,16,17,[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32] The implication of these findings is that because of stigma and discrimination in health care settings, PLWHA may be given substandard care, treated with disdain, face limited access to services, or avoid services all together. If these attitudes continue in the health care settings, it will be difficult to control HIV and AIDS.…”

Providing anti-retroviral therapy in the context of self-perceived stigma: a mixed methods study from Tanzania

“…In this study, the effects of stigma contextualize itself within the individuals, communities and the CTC surroundings. Similarly, a previous study in Tanzania revealed that because of stigma, patients with AIDS changed their behaviour to avoid negative reactions towards them, both from health facilities and communities (Mutalemwa et al, 2008). Moreover, the struggle described by the HCPs about ART-prescribed patients trying to hide identifiable cards, indicates the patients' efforts of consoling and fitting in the group of HIV negative people.…”