AIDS fatigue

AIDS fatigue is a phenomenon wherein individuals or societies who previously were concerned about the impact of HIV or AIDS become desensitized to the having a strong emotional response to HIV issues after receiving continual messages about the danger over a long period of time.

Contents

Causes

Anthony Fauci, director of the United States' NIAID at the NIH said that one of the causes of AIDS fatigue are huge successes in treatment which subsequently have made some people perceive the disease as less concerning. Fauci noted that whereas in the 1980s in America "we had 30-40 percent of the hospital wards in inner-city hospitals occupied by people with advanced HIV disease, now because of the success of the therapies - which is great news - we don't have that."[1]

Consequences

Some of the consequences of AIDS fatigue include the following:[2]

  • the stigma of having HIV decreases[2]
  • individuals' fear of disclosing HIV status weakens[2]
  • media coverage becomes easier[2]
  • media interest and coverage frequency reduces[2]
  • less blame directed for infection[2]
  • sexuality and gender issues become easier to discuss[2]
  • less adherence to medicine regimens[2]
  • less care taken to engage in safer sex[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ Anthony Fauci (30 November 2007). "Fauci: Despite 'AIDS fatigue,' Americans should care". cnn.com. http://articles.cnn.com/2007-11-30/health/aids.day.fauci_1_hiv-and-aids-new-infections-world-aids-day?_s=PM:HEALTH. Retrieved 23 October 2011. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Berger, Guy (27 November 2003). "End of the Aids story?". Mail & Guardian. http://mg.co.za/article/2003-11-27-end-of-the-aids-story. Retrieved 23 October 2011.