Every person deserves care without stigma
- Jul 21
- 1 min read
Updated: Jul 27
Today is Zero HIV Stigma Day, a chance to look at how far HIV treatment has come and how far attitudes still have to go.
Modern medication means HIV is no longer the life-limiting diagnosis it once was. Someone on effective treatment with an undetectable viral load cannot pass HIV on to anyone else, a fact known as U=U. It's one of the most significant developments in the history of the epidemic.
Attitudes haven't caught up with the science. Stigma still stops people from testing, still stops people from telling those closest to them, and still pushes some people out of treatment altogether, often years after diagnosis. The effects show up as isolation, anxiety and worse health, quietly, long after the medicine has done what it's supposed to do.
At Mildmay, we've cared for people living with HIV since 1988. Whether in our hospital in East London, through our partnership with Mildmay Uganda, or our past work in multiple countries, we believe healthcare should never come with judgement attached. Compassion isn't something we add to good care. It's what good care actually looks like.
Our UK hospital has written in more detail about why stigma still matters and what person-centred HIV care looks like in practice today.
